Beauty in the Breakdown
by phoenixdown7
Summary: [SasuNaruSasu]Sometimes it only takes a moment for life to change and priorities to be put into perspective.  For Naruto, it only took one mistake and a little help from Kyuubi to transform his life entirely. For better or worse.
1. prologue: A Cry in the Night

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters therein.

* * *

I know...I know...I am a terrible author and I can't seem to finish any story before I start a new one. I know I still have three different stories that have not been completed, and I know that I keep on falling prey to new plot bunnies that are especially vicious and attack me at work when my brain is most vulnerable to stimuli. I know. So I am very sorry to announce that I have begun a new fic...

but I hope you will read it anyway...

er...

thanks.

* * *

Beauty in the Breakdown

Prologue: A Cry in the Night

The shack creaked forbodingly as wind from the night storm blasted against its sides and seeped through cracks in the old sodden wood-panels. The inside was dark except for a lone nearly burnt-out candle about to drown in its own liquid death. Its light flickered desperately, fighting against the pitch blackness that waited just beyond the scope of its luminescence.

The only occupant in the room failed to recognize the candle's struggle as he too fought for his life.

Beads of sweat trickled down feverish tan skin and a hand trembled around the hilt of a kunai. Breaths came in shallow gasps, hitching in the back of his throat irregularly. A wave of pain crashed into him once again and his hand holding the kunai shook more violently. Peircingly blue eyes began to bleed red and closed for a short moment.

He gasped again when the wave subsided and a flurry of curse words flowed from his barely parted lips, barely intelligeable but for the words "damned fox".

His hands were slippery, almost too intractable to hold the kunai above his large belly. His sweaty back tensed against the rotten floorboards when the next wave of pain hit, and he let out a barely audible scream.

His breathing became more irregular as it passed and his body slumped against the ground, his head resting precariously upon a jacket-covered, weathered rock he had found somewhere outside. Beads of sweat rolled down his matted, oily blond locks and into his eyes and mouth. He sputtered and wiped his face roughly with his free hand.

He knew what he had to do, because the pain wasn't going to stop unless he did, but he was dangerously aware of how inexperienced he was and so he couldn't stop a very real fear from gripping his racing heart.

_Don't hesitate, boy. You're going to kill us all._

Naruto barely registered the soft, yet panicked, rumbling voice speaking to him from the back of his mind; it sounded obstructed or obfuscated as though he was listening to someone at the end of a very long, metal tunnel. The fox was becoming as weak as he was.

Naruto laughed, but it sounded more like a winded gasp, his voice barely wheezed out of his throat. "You're the one…who…got _us_…into this mess…stupid…asshole."

There was no reply, but there didn't need to be. Naruto knew what the fox was thinking, even if it felt as though it was slipping away from him.

Naruto bit his lower lip harshly and steeled himself to do what had to be done before another wave of pain could hit him. His trembling hand lowered the kunai until it was slightly digging into the flesh right below his protruding stomach.

He took a deep, rattling breath, before he plunged the kunai deeper and pulled it upwards, a third of the way toward his chest. Naruto nearly bit off his tongue with the intense new pain of it, barely noticing through bleary, tear-filled eyes the results of his handiwork. Naruto forced himself to look down at the terrible wound just beneath his stomach, blood was already pouring out and soaking the floor boards around him.

Disgusted with the sight and nearly paralyzed with fear, Naruto managed to place his shaking hand into the deep wound. He was nearly hyperventilating by the time his hand found the object of his search. Completely nauseated, Naruto pulled at it, feeling every excruciating angle of it as it passed through the layers of bleeding flesh and out into the cold night air.

A terrifying blackness rimmed his vision when he pulled it all the way out, he stared at the bundle of flesh deleriously as he pulled it by his side. His bloody hands felt completely numb as he stroked it, outlining a tiny, immobile face with one thumb.

He grit his teeth, because he knew that there was more than one, and repeated the same process he had before with agonizing pain. He pulled the other up beside the first and stared into their still faces, tears rolling down his cheeks.

The darkness expanded until he nearly felt blind with it, and Naruto recognized the signs of his own impending death.

_Fox, you need to heal me…I can't…_

_Kami, there's so much blood…_

_Fox…_

_I…_

And then a newborn's cry filled the storm-battered shack.

* * *

Sakura stopped in her tracks and her vision slid to her right. She could feel the others around her stop as she held up a quiet hand. She stared into the snowy darkness, her vision obstructed by both lack of light and thick snowfall; but it was what she heard that had caught her attention.

A peircingly high-pitched cry echoed throughout the forest and something about it sent a cold chill down her spine that had nothing to do with the freezing temperatures.

"It's just a baby," a rough voice spoke to her left and Sakura felt Akamaru brush his long fur along her pant-leg as he sat down beside her. His owner looked disinterested. "It probably just wants its mother."

Sakura looked at him and barely found Kiba's eyes within the confines of the hood in his fur coat.

"I want to investigate," Sakura replied, not expecting Kiba to understand her intuition.

"But…"

"She's right, Kiba," A soft voice from behind them cut in. "That baby doesn't sound well. There's something wrong with it."

"Even so, Hinata, that's not our responsibility," Kiba retorted and scratched his nose. "What if we go over there and lose track of Naruto?"

"It's too late for that," Sakura stated, already making her way toward the source of the baby's cry. "You lost his scent the moment it began to snow."

Kiba looked flustered and Akamaru whimpered.

Sakura knew it would be considered a low blow by them for her to openly accuse their noses of being faulty; even if indirectly. But what she said was true, so she didn't feel bad about it. She was still frustrated that they had lost Naruto's trail only two days before – when they thought they had been very close. It was the closest they had come to his scent in months and Kiba had said as much right before the damnedable snow began to fall and ruin any good feelings they might have had.

The blizzard picked up as they walked, covering their tracks almost the moment they stepped out of them and the world turned a dark blue only streaked with white against the black when they turned on their flash lights and searched through the dense storm – but the baby's cry became louder, indicating that they were moving in the right direction.

"We'll have to find shelter soon, it's getting too cold," Kiba stated, his breath puffing into the night air, proving his point.

"Just a moment." Sakura squinted and turned the beam of her flash light upon rotted wood panels just in front of them. She traced out windows and a door with it, before motioning to others to follow silently.

The baby was wailing now, it's little voice hoarse but strong. Sakura nodded to Hinata and Kiba before she knocked on the door. No one answered, even after she knocked harder a second time. Finally, following her instincts, she turned the door knob. It wasn't locked.

She stepped in, her flashlight washing over the perimeter as a sharp blast of cold air and snow entered from behind her. A terrible chill raised up her spine when her flashlight beam revealed the carcasses of old Ramen packets strewn across the floor, but she nearly dropped her flashlight when she placed the beam in the middle of the room.

"Holy shit!"

At first, Sakura had thought the words had come from her own mouth, but then she realized that her mouth was open and incapable of releasing the scream that she knew was caught in her tight throat. Kiba had come to her side, panting and looking stricken, and Hinata had gasped, cupping her hands to her face in pure horror.

There, in the middle of the room, lay the mangled body of one of her best friends, and it was a baby wrapped within his deathly pale arms that was now screaming at the top of its lungs.

"Naruto!!" Sakura's stiff legs carried her the few steps it took to get to Naruto's side. His eyes were closed and his lips were already an unnaturally blue hue He was mostly naked, except for some wet boxers, which were now soaked in the same blood that pooled around him in disorienting amounts.

Tears raced down her face, but she barely noticed them as she fumbled to check his pulse. The moment she felt a weak trace of one, Hinata spoke from behind her with a quaking voice.

"H-his chakra system…is intact…just barely, but I can't see the other one."

So the Kyuubi was somehow incapacitated and thus unable to heal Naruto's life-threatening wounds.

Sakura finally forced herself to look through her waterlogged vision at the greatest of Naruto's wounds and nearly felt sick, but she swallowed the bile that rose up the back of her throat. Knowing that she was the only one that could save him, if he could be saved.

She looked at the bloody bodies within the crook of Naruto's pale arm and noted blearily that only one of the babies was crying. The other was only hiccoughing lamely, unable to let out a sound from its still blocked throat.

She swallowed again and tried to calm herself. She had no idea what was going on and she felt herself nearly going into shock, which she could not allow to happen. She needed to stay lucid and think about how to best help Naruto and the babies before she tried to take in the entire situation at once. She refused to even let herself think about the abnormalities in the babies' physical appearance. She knew she would have to keep a straight head as the only medic nin in the area.

"H-hinata," Sakura managed to croak, cutting the two umbillical cords with a sharp cauterizing knife made out of concentrated chakra at the tips of her fingers. "I need you to massage this newborn and get him to cry. His airway is most likely partially blocked."

"Y-yes." Hinata practically stumbled to her side and she handed the newborn carefully to the pale-eyed girl, before addressing the unnaturally quiet Kiba over the screeches of the other newborn.

She pulled off her own fur coat and lay it at her side. "Kiba, I need you to help me hold Naruto down as I try to heal the wound in his abdomen. He may wake up during the process and it would be very unpleasant if he did."

Kiba only nodded, practically ripping his own fur coat off as he placed his hands upon Naruto's shoulders. He clearly did not want to look at the gore around Naruto's stomach, but Sakura knew she would have to disappoint him.

"I'm sorry, Kiba, but I need you to hold his legs down as well," Sakura breathed, her voice tellingly hoarse.

Kiba only grunted – his face stark white beneath his purpling triangle tatoos – and complied, but he did his best not to look straight down where he knew the wound was as he splayed his arms over Naruto's legs with a hand on one of Naruto's shoulders.

Sakura smiled at him tightly before fumbling in her medical kit and pulling out a long needle and thread. She quickly got to work with her hands, cauterizing the wound within the layers of muscle, fatty tissue, and organ with a chakra technique she learned from Tsunade. As expected, the bleeding slowed and she let out a tiny sigh of relief, before she stiffly went about the work of stitching the flesh back in place…first the organ, which she vaguely recognized as a female uterus – she shut her mind down on any and all thoughts after that and began to run on autopilot – then the muscle tissues. It was painstaking work, but an hour and a half later, she had finished closing the wound up completely.

The other baby, a girl, had begun to scream much as her brother had been while Sakura was performing the operation, but she only noticed it now as she pulled the last stitching through flesh. Naruto had never awoken during the procedure.

She cleaned the blood on her hands and lower arms with a towel from her pack and she exhaled painstakingly slowly before she looked up at an ashen-faced Kiba.

"Do you have a soldier pill on you? Preferably one full of iron and calcium?"

He nodded, apparently still mute, before he rifled through an inside pocket of his coat and pulled out a large red ball.

Sakura took it, pulling a pan out of her pack. She used the same chakra technique that she used to cauterize Naruto's wounds in order to heat the pan as she added water. Once the water boiled, she plopped the pill in and watched it slowly disintegrate into the water and become a vitamin solution.

Hinata sat beside Sakura, cooing to the relatively quiet baby in her arms. Hinata had cleaned and wrapped both babies in blankets from her pack; she picked up the boy and placed him next to his equally exhausted sister. They slept peacefully within little bundles upon Hinata's folded legs.

"Is he going to be alright?" Hinata murmured quietly, watching Naruto's pale face as the shack continued to creak under the weight of newly fallen snow.

Noting the solution was fully mixed, Sakura pulled it up out of the pan with her chakra so that it was a ball of liquid in mid-air. "Only time will tell. If the Kyuubi comes back to his normal abilities, than I would say most definitely, but until that point, Naruto will heal as everyone else does; slowly and painfully."

Hinata's byakugan was activated again and she looked over Naruto's body from head to foot. "I still can't see Kyuubi's chakra that clearly, but it is present." She pointed at Naruto's seal. "It's all collected beneath his seal and there is another, fainter concentration around the organs in his abdomen. It's weak, but it's there."

Sakura's eyebrows rose a bit as she pushed the vitamin solution into Naruto's body with her chakra bubble, slowly forcing it through his veins when she came across them. "The Kyuubi must have used up a great deal of chakra in order to sustain Naruto's…condition."

"I didn't know…" Hinata began, looking down at the babies in her lap. "I didn't know Naruto would be able to have babies."

Kiba flinched, but Sakura just nodded her head. They would have to speak about this sooner or later. There was no denying it, and now they could all reflect upon their predicament more clearly. "Neither did I. I…."

Sakura sighed heavily as the last of the solution entered Naruto's blood stream. "I didn't know the Kyuubi could have this affect, but…demons are known to be hermaphrodites. Especially foxes."

Hinata nodded slightly. "The Kyuubi certainly had an affect." She looked down at the babies and the boy's long black ears twitched within his matted black hair as if to illustrate her point.

"Well, they do look cute," Sakura replied, lightening the mood despite herself as she watched the babies' ears continue to swivel about independent of one another.

"I don't believe it," Kiba stated, his voice cracking as he finally spoke for the first time since the entire ordeal began. "We've been looking for him for nearly three months, and he left all because…because…"

Sakura placed a large blanket from her own pack over Naruto's still form and tucked the edges in around him for maximum warmth. "He was pregnant. Yes."

"With puppies," Kiba added, rubbing the bridge of his nose in a very Shikamaru-like gesture.

"I believe baby foxes are called kits," Hinata added helpfully, stroking the baby girl's golden ears.

"Nevermind that!" Kiba growled, although it sounded softer toward Hinata than it certainly would have been toward Sakura. "He's a seventeen-year-old boy! He can't be a father…m-mother…or whatever!"

Sakura sighed, ignoring Kiba's rant, and spoke rather guiltily. "I hadn't even noticed anything unusual…everytime I visited him right before he left…."

"Well, who would've expected you to suspect he was preggers?" Kiba scoffed, clearly frustrated with all the revelations about a boy he clearly thought he knew well. "He's a guy!"

"Naruto-kun shouldn't have left Konoha in this state," Hinata said. "He could have died."

They all went quiet at that, realizing how close that had been to coming true. If they had found him just one hour later…

"He was probably afraid. The idiot," Sakura stated, breaking the uncomfortable silence.

She felt frustrated that Naruto hadn't seen fit to tell her of his predicament before he left. She would have helped him. She would have even kept it all a secret for him, because she had grown to know him since the day Sasuke had left them and she had grown to love him as well. She loved him as a brother and a friend and she would have done anything to make sure he was all right. She could have helped him bring the babies to term and birth them safely. But no, Naruto had been stupid and ran off to nearly die out here alone. He nearly killed his own babies as well.

The complete idiot.

She wiped her face almost angrily to stop the hot tears from rolling down her already puffy cheeks.

She didn't understand most of it; she didn't understand how Naruto had become pregnant in the first place or what exactly was running through his head when he had found out, she could barely even comprehend any of it herself, but she was determined to make him explain it all to her when he regained conciousness. She looked over and noticed Naruto's palor was slowly receding and a healthier color was taking its place.

Sakura took another deep breath. He was going to be okay. He was Naruto, she told herself. He was a survivor.

"When he wakes up, we'll return him to Konoha for further treatment," Sakura murmured, placing a soft hand on Naruto's clammy forehead.

The other two nodded at her, but as the newborns squirmed within their little coccoons on Hinata's lap they all secretly wondered whether it would be that easy to put into practice.

* * *

"Not like that, Kiba…like this."

"Ugh, Sakura…the little bastard still isn't drinking!"

"Kiba!"

"Ah..heh heh…sorry Hinata-chan."

"Here, let me do it… See? Just like that."

Naruto opened his eyes and immediately regretted it. The bright light of day felt like it was trying to peirce through his skull. He placed a heavy hand across his eyes and moaned pathetically. He barely had time to register the other aches and pains shooting throughout his body, which now felt like a lead weight, before all of the voices in the room ceased.

_Am I dead?_

"Ah! He's awake!"

He groaned again as he opened his eyes, blearily recognizing the generally pink blob in front of him as Sakura, before he was barrelled backward onto the hard floor. He spluttered in pain as Sakura's arms squeezed around his back and her dead weight practically crushed him against the floorboards.

"Naruto!! You complete and total moron! Don't you ever, _ever _do that again, do you hear me?! You ungrateful, stupid, rash, idiotic…"

Naruto moaned again and winced as she continued to bellow into his ear and soak his cheek with her hysterical tears. He could barely breathe with the weight of her on his chest and so he wheezed out a pathetic, "Sakura-chan?"

Fortunately, this was enough to motivate Sakura to disengage from him and he could finally breathe normally again. She was still sitting quite close to him, filling his vision and watching him apprehensively, suddenly very quiet in contrast to her fit before.

Naruto sat up laboriously, disconcerted. Sakura wasn't supposed to be here, with him, he knew that much. He remembered. He had been escaping Konoha and the nin he knew to have been on his tail. For her to be here now and for his body to feel as if it had been subjected to a hundred chidori attacks in quick succession was not a good sign.

"What happened?" He ran a heavy hand through his hair, trying to remember the moments before the last time he fell asleep. He couldn't shake the feeling that something was missing from him. Something important. Like a gaping hole, that was once filled.

And then it all came back to him in a rush and he stared down where his fat stomach was supposed to be and panicked. _The kits!_ A very vivid, raw kind of fear gripped him and he could feel the fox's chakra burn within him in alarm. His hands immediately swept over his too flat abdomen and he realized his mistake too late as a searing pain shot through his very center. "Augh!"

One of Sakura's hands gripped his upper arm and held him steady as he convulsed forward and bit his lip sharply.

"Stay still, Naruto. You're still healing."

"Sakura…what are you doing here?" Naruto ground out, gulping in shallow gasps under a new wave of dizziness in which Sakura's image nearly doubled within his vision. "What happened to them? Where are my kits?"

"They're fine, Naruto," Sakura replied placatingly, but her voice was shaking in obvious distress. "They're…"

"They're right here, Naruto-kun."

Sakura pulled back from him to reveal Hinata, who was scooching up behind her upon her knees, and Naruto's eyes widened. Kiba came into view a few moments later, peering over Hinata's shoulder, looking pale-faced. His shock at seeing Hinata and Kiba was replaced when his eyes slipped from her pale face to the two bundles of blankets she was holding in her arms and resting upon her lap.

Naruto held his hands out immediately, images of his kits' still and bloody faces flashing horrifically through his mind. He wanted to believe they were alive, but he had seen them right after they were born and he needed to see them again…needed to know that they were moving and breathing and alive.

Hinata looked over at Sakura who nodded slightly, before handing one of the bundles to Naruto wordlessly, followed by the other. Naruto fumbled with their awkward weight for a second before they were held securely against the cradle of his arms. He stared at their sleeping faces, his blurring vision tracing their large twitching ears, nestled within healthy mops of hair, each a different color, blond and black. Their faces were completely human in appearance but for the whisker marks on each of their cheeks. Tears rolled down Naruto's cheeks as he looked at them squirm in their sleep, but he didn't look away from them even as the tears obstructed his better vision. He had never seen anything so beautiful in his entire life and the emotion of it all, he was sure, showed plainly on his face.

He had been carrying them for four months and it was the fox who had alerted him to it in the very beginning. He had been in denial at first. After all, he was a boy and had never been taught to expect the chance of a pregnancy, but he couldn't ignore the way his waist had expanded at a rapid pace, even in the first month, or the way he had felt tired and sick almost every day.

He had been angry with the fox at first, refusing to speak to it for nearly a month. In that period of time he had panicked, feeling his dreams slip from his fingers as the prospect of rearing his very own babies loomed over his future like a perfect black storm cloud in the horizon. That had been a very difficult time, but in the end, he had realized that he could not do anything but have the babies. He knew he couldn't have lived with himself if he let them die. He also knew that it wasn't all entirely the Kyuubi's fault; his actions had more than contributed to the condition he was in. So, he had decided in that moment to take responsibility. The new sense of purpose had calmed him somewhat, allowing him to think clearly about what he had to do.

It had been his decision to leave the village before he showed further symptoms and the fox had full-heartedly agreed. The council of elders had already been watching him closely and he knew that if they ever caught wind that he was pregnant with fox demon babies then they would lock him up or kill him before he had the chance to bring them to full term.

The fox had given him lots of advice, clearly enjoying the rearing of kits within his container, for which Naruto had been alternately pleased and disturbed. Because of Kyuubi, he had learned that the kits would be ready to leave the womb within 4 months of conception, instead of the normal 9 months for humans and that there would be two of them, one male and one female. All of this, of course, was an affect of the Kyuubi's usual reproductive cycle upon his system.

So, he had left Konohagakure at the end of the first month, heading for an isolated corner of Snow Country, where he could try to birth and rear the kits with little or no notice. It had been a risk, but he didn't see any other option and the fox had been adament that he would protect his container and the kits.

Naruto had been afraid but determined in those months of evading anyone who may have been trailing him, but he was never more afraid than when the contractions of labor first began. He hadn't been ready for that kind of pain and, it seemed, neither had the fox, because he had felt the fox's chakra weaken with the strain of sustaining the kits within his tight belly. He had expected the fox to be there when he had to perform a ceasarion section himself in order to retrieve the kits, because his body had never been equipped for anything else. It was the fox who was supposed to provide these features, but maintaining the womb had obviously become a strain on him in the last month, and Naruto could do nothing, but wait for the moment when he would have to do it all himself.

And he had nearly killed them all; himself, the fox, and his newborn kits.

Sakura noted how Naruto's hands clenched around the bundles in his hands as he pulled them against his chest almost desperately, letting out a keening, unhuman sound from his throat as he did so. Sakura's chest constricted at the sight and she could see from the corner of her eye that Hinata was looking close to tears. Tears were streaming down Naruto's face already, but he buried it between the two bundles, and that was when the babies woke up from their deep sleeps and began to cry.

Naruto was startled at the sound and he jerked back as their cries became louder, his face still wet, clearly uncertain as to what to do.

"Here, let me," Sakura said as she scooted over to his side and pulled his daughter gently from his arms. He was a little resistant to it at first, his face and eyes still puffy from all the tears he had just shed, but she smiled softly to him in a reassuring manner and, reluctantly, he let her hold his daughter.

"You just have to rock them, they've just been unsettled from waking up," She murmured, following her own instructions and rocking the baby girl in her arms gently. The baby's cries lowered in volume in tune with every rock back and forth, but the baby boy in Naruto's arms was still wailing. "Go ahead, Naruto, rock him."

Naruto did as he was told, clearly uncertain about how best to angle his arms as he moved the baby, but sure enough, the baby's wails reduced to small irritated hiccoughs.

Naruto took a deep, shaky breath in and stared at the baby in his arms cautiously, looking as though he was holding a ticking time-bomb that would explode at the slightest wrong movement.

"There, see?" Sakura asked, still rocking the sleeping baby in her arms.

"Yeah," Naruto murmured, eyes still locked on the bundle in his arms. "Thanks, Sakura-chan."

There was a small silence after that as Sakura rocked the baby in her arms and everyone watched Naruto rock his son, a conflicted expression twisting his usually carefree features. He looked lost and it pained Sakura to see it.

"Wh-what will you name them, Naruto-kun?"

Naruto's eyes snapped up to regard Hinata, his melancholy trance forgotten as he considered her question. He smiled a little, looking down at his son and then his daughter in Sakura's arms.

"My daughter's name is Mikomi," he replied, clearly having thought this over far in advance.

Sakura and Hinata smiled at the choice, 'hope'. Clearly Naruto hoped for her to be a new beginning.

"I was going to name my son after his…" but Naruto stopped speaking, suddenly looking afraid and uncertain. His gaze regarded all of them, flicking from Kiba to Hinata to Sakura in quick succession. Kiba, in particular, looked as though he had swallowed a large rock as the implications of Naruto's unfinished statement washed throughout the inhabitants of the drab shack.

"Naruto," Sakura began cautiously, her heartbeat quickening as her mind supplied the rest of his unspoken words. She was apprehensive to voice the question because she knew it to the largest of them all; the one she knew had crossed everyone of their minds, but had never been spoken aloud. She knew, however, that sooner or later, someone would have to ask.

"Who is the f-father?" Her tongue tripped on the last word, but she managed to keep her voice steady.

Naruto regarded her silently, his body tense as everyone watched him. He pulled his son closer to his body as if to protect him from their prying eyes. He was more guarded than Sakura had ever seen him before, and it made her suddenly realize the extent to which this ordeal had changed him.

Naruto released a sigh, he looked deflated, but his eyes pierced her with a certain type of resolution that spoke of older times, back when he had promised her many things with an uplifting confidence that was all his own.

"My son's name is Sasuke."

* * *

AN: Comments? Flames? Sharp, pointy objects?


	2. Best Laid Plans

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto yadda yadda yadda…

AN: Thank you for all of the reviews on the first chapter. They were wonderful.

* * *

Chapter 1: Best Laid Plans

"_My son's name is Sasuke."_

The entire shack went deathly silent, making Naruto quickly regret speaking at all.

Sakura looked positively dumbstruck, holding his daughter stiffly within her arms, her mouth slightly agape as she looked at him much in the way someone would regard a person who just happened to have two heads. Hinata was not much better. Her large, pale eyes were wide and her surely gaping mouth was covered with a hand in a delicate gesture of surprise.

But Kiba, was slightly more vocal.

"_What_?!"

"Kiba!"

"I'm sorry, Hinata-chan," Kiba blustered, clearly beside himself. "But seriously! How….when…I mean, _why_?!"

Naruto was hoping that Sakura would come to his rescue and change the conversation around; maybe steer it on a new course with new and safer topics, but to his chagrin, everyone was looking to him now, waiting for him to answer Kiba's nonsensical question with a response that hopefully contained full, complete sentences.

Naruto suddenly felt very tired, his chakra reserves were clearly not back to their full levels yet, but it wasn't surprising to him that Kiba would tip him off to noticing this fact.

He was already embarrassed that Hinata and Sakura had found him in such a comprimizing situation, but for Kiba to witness the affair as well…that was almost too much. Not only was Naruto's masculine pride severely damaged in the eyes of his female comrades, but now it was equally so in the eyes of one of his better male friends. Sincerely, he didn't really know which was worse.

Naruto considered backpeddling and trying to pass it all off as a joke, or maybe even going over there and punching Kiba in the face, but he felt incredibly tired, so in a very characteristically blunt fashion, he answered each question. "We had sex. Four months ago. And … I … don't know why."

"You don't know why?" Kiba asked, looking at him incredulously. "You had sex with Uchiha Sasuke, the bastard you've been chasing for years, the guy who betrayed you and the rest of our village, and you don't even know _why_?"

"_Kiba_," Sakura warned, but Kiba continued his rant, looking slightly crazed.

"How did you guys even have the _time_?! He's a missing nin, and last time I checked, he hasn't been in Konoha for the last five years! After everything he's done, I can't believe you let that asshole get into your pants."

"Bastard!" Naruto growled menacingly, already highly ruffled by Kiba's remarks and the not so subtle sidejabs at his propriety. "If you don't shut up I'm gonna come over there and beat your face in until no one can tell it from your ass!"

"Oh yeah?" Kiba shot back, already pulling his hands into fists. "Why don't you come over here and try it, fox-face?!"

Sasuke, still bundled in Naruto arms, began to cry heartily.

"Kiba! Naruto! Stop it!" Sakura shouted, making them both cease their argument and look over at her. She was already on her feet, still holding Mikomi in one arm, and they could all sense her chakra building to dangerous levels. "If you two knuckleheads don't cut it out, then I'm just going to have to knock you unconscious!" Her head swivelled dangerously toward Naruto and she shot him a threatening look. "And I am not adverse to attacking even my own patients."

Naruto nodded at her shakily. He remembered clearly what it felt like to get pummeled by Sakura, and it was not fun. He concentrated on getting Sasuke back under control by rocking him, but the baby didn't seem to respond in kind. Instead, his wails became louder, his black eyes rimmed with tears.

"And Kiba!" Sakura's wrath fell upon the dog nin and he looked up at her in pure horror. "If you aggravate Naruto while he is still recovering one more time, I'll personally burn all of your clothes off and send you out into the blizzard stark naked!"

Kiba frowned but didn't say anything in retort.

The only sound left in the shack was little Sasuke's harsh wails as Sakura sat back down, a squirming Mikomi in her arms.

Of course, she had wanted to know the answers to Kiba's questions as well, but she decided it was best to leave it for now. It clearly aggravated Naruto and thus, aggravated the babies. She would have to corner him another time, away from Kiba and Hinata, in order to extract all the answers from him.

A nagging voice in the back of her head told her that maybe it wasn't her business in the first place, but she pushed that aside. She couldn't just ignore the revelation that one of her male former teammates had knocked up her other male teammate without her even knowing that they had seen each other, let alone had sex with each other, within the past year. She had been on every mission with Naruto to retrieve Sasuke and they had always come back with nothing. She couldn't think of any other time the two could have met. Naruto had never told her about it, either. The entire situation just didn't make any sense. No, she was going to get to the bottom of this, if it was the last thing she did.

"Does Sasuke-kun know?" Hinata asked quietly, breaking Sakura's inner rant, which miraculously managed to be above the raucous created by the raven-haired shinobi's namesake screaming at the top of his little lungs.

Naruto shook his head, his expression artificially blank as he wrestled with the little terror in his arms.

Sakura sighed tiredly at the answer and at Naruto's fruitless attempts to get little Sasuke to calm down, before she rummaged around in her pack, pulling out a baby bottle and heating the formula in it slightly with her chakra. She handed the bottle to him when she was done.

"He's either hungry or he's made an accident," She began at his questioning look. "You're going to have to figure out which."

"Accident?" Naruto muttered weakly, already feeling overwhelmed by the kits he thought he had prepared for.

"He's quite the troublemaker, isn't he?" Hinata commented, denoting the difference between the two babies' behavior.

"Yes, he definitely takes after his mother," Sakura stated wryly, ignoring Naruto's glare.

"I don't think he's hungry," Naruto murmured anxiously, watching the milk dribble out of Sasuke's open, screaming mouth and down his front.

"Fine then, use these." Sakura fished around in her pack and pulled out a large bag of diapers, handing one to him. "I bought these down in the village a mile from here, three days ago."

"Three days ago?" Naruto asked dumbly as he peered at the diaper warily. "How long have I been out?"

"Four days," Kiba answered gruffly. "And man, we thought you died, if you didn't wake up by tomorrow, we were just gonna haul you back to Konoha no matter what."

"Konoha?!" Naruto tensed, temporarily forgetting the struggling baby in his arms. "Well, it's a good thing I woke up, because I'm definitely not going back there."

"Whaddaya mean?" Kiba sent him an irritated look. "You're gonna have to go back eventually."

"I can't," Naruto retorted with an air of finality, daring Kiba to contradict him.

Kiba opened his mouth, but Hinata placed a hand on his shoulder.

"It will be best for your babies, Naruto-kun…the Godaime…"

"No, you don't understand." Naruto shook his head stubbornly. "If I go back there, my kits will be imprisoned or killed by the council. That's why I had to leave."

"B-but, what about your dream?" Hinata asked, placing her hand lightly upon Naruto's exposed ankle.

Naruto turned his head away, looking inward as though searching himself. His voice was soft at first. "I can't become Hokage until I take care of my kits." He looked up at Hinata then, a small smile adorning his features. "Besides, if I couldn't even do that, how could I become a good Hokage and take care of an entire village?"

Sakura was immediately reminded of their first reunion with Sasuke a year ago when Sasuke had asked Naruto why he didn't just give up, and Naruto had replied with a surprising amount of conviction, '_how could I become Hokage, if I couldn't even save one of my friends?'_

'_Don't you agree, Sasuke?'_

"Here, Naruto." Sakura broke away from her memories, taking the diaper from his hand and unwrapping the baby from his blanket coccoon. "You have to check, like this." She lay the struggling little Sasuke back on his blanket beside Naruto and pulled off his diaper, revealing its contents. "Yes, he's definitely not hungry."

Both Naruto and Kiba covered their distinctly sensitive noses when the pungent odor hit the air.

"Ah, I'll neber ged used to dat," Kiba whined, his voice sounding incredibly nasal due to the lock he still had on his nose.

Sakura ignored the comment and got to work pulling the sodden diaper away and taking a bottle of baby powder out of her pack. She sprinkled it over Sasuke's bum and Naruto watched, eyes suspiciously misty as his hand cupped his nose.

"Now, all you do is wrap the diaper forward from the back, like this, and then take the sides and stick them over the front flap," Sakura commented, mimicking her words with her actions until the operation was complete. "And there you go, he's comfortable again."

Sasuke's cries reduced to small hiccoughs, his ears twitching slightly as his eyes began to droop sleepily.

Naruto watched as the baby yawned adorably, before promptly falling asleep on the floor. Sakura placed Mikomi next to her brother and they both slept peacefully, Sasuke's head turning slightly toward his sister.

Naruto sat back against the wall tiredly and his stomach rumbled loudly. He looked down at it and realized how very hungry he was. "Did you guys bring anything to eat?"

Hinata nodded and pulled food packets out of her own pack. "I brought an assortment of dry foods, mostly nutrient bars."

Naruto made a face when she handed one of said bars to him. "No ramen?"

"No, all your ramen was eaten by the time we got here," Sakura replied, her voice turning stern. "But you shouldn't be eating that anyway. It isn't good for you, and it certainly wasn't good for the babies."

Naruto huffed dejectedly, but that didn't stop him from muttering, "That was all I wanted to eat when I was pregnant."

"That's all you wanna eat all the time," Kiba scoffed. "Man, Naruto, it's a wonder you can still get up in the morning."

"You should eat those energy bars, though," Sakura added, cutting off Naruto's heated retort before another fight could break loose and taking a bite into her own. "They're not that bad…just a little dry…and flaky."

"Yeah, they only feel like they're absorbing 99 of the water in your mouth the moment they touch your tongue," Kiba commented morosely, working his way into a bar that Hinata had passed to him. "Man, I hate mission food."

Naruto took a bite of his own bar out of pure hunger and had to agree full-heartedly with Kiba. The bars were awful.

That was why he had always filled his mission pack to the brim with ramen; sometimes he'd even have to sacrifice the occasional weapon or two, but in the end, it was always worth it. The energy bars tasted like extra-dry cardboard and what was worse, it always left a residue that adhered to the tongue for hours afterward. Naruto had never really been able to get over it, unlike the rest of his comrades, who had dutifully eaten the things during entire missions that could last months.

Naruto made a show of scraping his tongue along the bottom of his teeth, but it still didn't quench his uncomfortably parched mouth.

"If we hadn't come when we did, I'm not sure how you would have managed," Sakura stated, voice turning a bit chilly as she regarded Naruto. "What were you going to do about food, once you survived the birthing of your babies?"

"I don't know. I thought I had enough ramen to last me longer," replied Naruto defensively. "Besides, lately I've been a little preoccupied."

"Well, that doesn't matter anyway, because you nearly died in child-birth along with your babies. So you wouldn't have had to worry," Sakura spat sarcastically.

"Sakura!" Hinata's usually sweet voice was tinged with dismay.

Naruto remained silent and looked away from her to the babies on the floor, his expression unreadable.

Sakura could just barely hear Kiba's muttered, "that was harsh," but she did her best to ignore him.

She realized she may have gone too far, but, damnit, she was angry with him. His rashness had nearly taken yet another precious person from her life, and she wasn't about to stand for it.

The shack was filled with a tense silence after that, punctuated at strange intervels by the sound of heavy snow falling off of overwhelmed tree branches in the forest outside; but then Sakura sighed and stated, as though the conversation from earlier had never been interrupted, "We'll all go back to Konoha tomorrow at dawn. You and the babies need to get a proper check-up by Tsunade and…"

"No, I can't, Sakura," Naruto interjected, his voice strangely low, not looking at her. He leaned forward and rubbed a thumb along little Sasuke's whiskered cheek idly which caused the baby to squirm a bit in his sleep, before he finally looked up and locked gazes with her. "If I go back, my kits will be imprisoned or worse. I can't let that happen."

"But Tsunade-sama wouldn't let that happen!" Sakura reasoned. "I know she would understand and help you…she loves you like a son, Naruto."

"I know." Naruto smiled, his face and torso bathed in sunlight from one of the nearest windows, but it looked pained around the edges. "Tsunade-no-baachan has been good to me, but she doesn't have that much power when it comes to the council. In the end, they would decide whether I…or my kits…live or die."

"But…how do you know they would choose the death sentence?" Sakura asked, knowing that she was grasping at straws. Mikomi flexed a bit on the ground and Sakura unconsciouly leaned forward and rubbed one of the babies feather-soft golden ears between her forfinger and thumb; soothing her back into stillness.

"I don't know for sure," Naruto conceded. "But I just can't take that risk." His expression looked powerfully resolute then, his blue eyes boring into hers; almost pleading with her to understand.. "I will protect my kits, even if it kills me."

But Sakura understood Naruto's argument all too well, because she knew how the council, especially in recent years, had kept their unusually watchful eyes on Naruto. They were afraid of the Kyuubi's power in the hands of rogue ninja organizations like the Akatsuki, it was true – and it was enough to make them tighten their leash on his mission operations.

In the last year, he hadn't been allowed to travel as far as he had been able to before, and this had especially frustrated him because he and Sakura were still searching tirelessly for their ever elusive ex-teammate.

But she also suspected, like Naruto, that there were darker reason's for the council's apprehensiveness. They were of the generation who watched the Kyuubi destroy the village those many years ago, and Sakura suspected that this influenced them greatly in their perceptions of Naruto himself.

Seeking to counter a backlash, the Third had made it impossible for witnesses of the event to speak of it ever again, but Sakura knew that old fears and hatreds still ran deep. She had caught even her own mother speaking badly of Naruto at one time, but those many years ago, Sakura could never have understood why as it had still been a highly guarded secret. No, she was just as suspicious as Naruto of what the council really thought and what they would do if they had the chance.

But, she was also afraid of the prospect of Naruto raising his babies alone, doomed to forever be a missing nin – and in that situation, wasn't it also a high probability that Naruto would be captured by Anbu and imprisoned or sentenced to death? It was dangerous either way, and by deciding to raise these babies, Naruto had taken a gamble that very well might end his life either way.

Finally, Sakura touched upon one of the issues that truly concerned her. "Why didn't you tell anyone about this, Naruto? Why didn't you tell _me_?" She left the end of her question unsaid, but she knew that Naruto heard the rest in the silence between them.

_Didn't you trust me?_

Naruto looked stricken at her hurt expression. "I'm sorry, Sakura-chan. I…" He paused. "I just didn't want to involve anyone."

"You didn't know that Konoha would send out search parties for you? You didn't know that eventually we would find you? Or worse, Tsunade-sama could have sent Anbu!" She stated, incredulous.

"I did," Naruto replied. "I just thought I could handle it."

"Idiot," Sakura muttered, it was almost a whisper. "You can't do this alone. If you had told us, we would have protected you. No matter what."

Naruto stared at her as if he had never truly seen her before. "I'm sorry."

Sakura suddenly realized that Naruto may have never understood how much she had grown to love him over the years, or just how loyal she had become to him. She wondered if part of this was her fault. She was always so rough with him, because that was one of the only ways she knew how to relate to him. It was the way they had interacted in the old team seven and, in some respects, it remained the way they communicated now.

She breathed out slowly. He was still watching her strangely. She hoped that now he understood how she felt and that he wouldn't distrust her again.

Another load of snow fell off of a tree and landed upon the roof of the shack, which creaked weakly under the added weight.

"I-I will help you, Naruto-kun," Hinata stated suddenly, making all eyes in the room swivel toward her in shock.

"Hinata," Sakura murmured, taken aback.

Hinata looked a little bewildered at the sudden attention, but her voice became louder as she pressed on. "I don't want your new family to die either, and so I will protect them with my life, because that is my way of the ninja."

"Hinata-chan." Naruto stared at her for a long moment and then smiled sincerely, his expression noticeably brightening in a way that Sakura had almost thought was lost forever. "Thank you."

"I'll help too," Kiba grumbled, looking a little embarrassed, but still true to his word.

Naruto nodded to him, a large stupid grin on his face, obviously delighted in Kiba's discomfort, but grateful all the same.

Hinata and Kiba's attention turned to Sakura and she rolled her eyes almost immediately. Wasn't it obvious to everyone that she would help too? After all she had been doing…

"Of course, I'll help," she snapped, but her voice softened when she smiled at Naruto. "I can't let you raise your children all alone, but…" she paused, her eyes pleading with him. "I want you to agree to meet with Tsunade-sama…"

Naruto opened his mouth, clearly about to protest, but Sakura cut him off.

"Naruto! You know I'm right about this. I'm a medic nin, but I've never raised a baby before and neither have you or Kiba or Hinata. It's true that I could treat them if they're ill and Hinata can check the state of their chakra health, but there are still so many factors that we need to consider. Like the fact that your babies are not fully human." She pointed at his babies' twitching ears in order to emphasize her point. "There are so many other characteristics that could be different about them that neither Hinata nor I could ever detect. You say that they were conceived approximately four months ago, but the average human baby takes nine months in the womb. Obviously, the Kyuubi's influence on them has heightened the pace of their growth, which makes me suspect that these babies are going to continue growing faster than the average baby."

"Faster?" Naruto repeated, looking dumbstruck. Obviously the Kyuubi, his only source of advice on the subject, had neglected to tell him anything about the state of the babies after they were born.

"Yes, much faster." Sakura frowned, she didn't trust the Kyuubi, and there was something definitely off about its eagerness to induce its container into an unnatural pregnancy. It was hard for her not to suspect that there was something about these babies that the Kyuubi favored; something that may be dangerous for them once the babies grew up. It was disturbing to her how much power the Kyuubi had gained over its container. Its ability to create a womb within Naruto was more than a little unnerving. And with the Kyuubi's influence and the Uchiha blood running through the babies' veins. Naruto's _kits_ could grow up to be very dangerous indeed.

Her eyes narrowed. She didn't want to believe it, but these were all real issues to consider, which was why she was so adamant about sending Naruto to Tsunade right away.

"Naruto," Sakura continued. "We need to contact Tsunade and have her assess them. I'm sure she will keep it a secret. But if we don't do this, I'm afraid that we won't be able to take care of your babies properly." _Or control them…_she added silently.

Naruto considered her words, looking inward with a frown on his whiskered face. He rubbed a hand through his disheveled, oily hair – he hadn't been properly bathed in five days, except for the areas around his wounds and under replaceable bandages– before speaking, his voice a little gruff. "Alright, but I'm not going to Konoha. She'll have to come to us."

Sakura sighed at his stubbornness, but she understood his cautiousness. She didn't know whether or not Tsunade would be able to get out of the village easily. She knew that if Tsunade understood the situation, she would want to, of course – but a Hokage of the Leaf didn't usually leave the village unless it was a dire emergency, and even then it was not without a copious amount of escorts. Not that Tsunade couldn't try to escape notice, but it could never be for long, unless others, especially her assistant Shizune, were in on the ruse. Either way, Sakura would have to try.

Sakura nodded her head curtly at him, sealing the deal. "Agreed."

Sakura shared a look with Hinata and Kiba, and all of them felt a palpable sense of relief. Naruto, however, only looked more tense, his hands in his lap, gripping the soft blanket that barely covered his ankles and feet.

"Ah!" Kiba exclaimed. "I'd almost forgot!"

A scratching sound came from the direction of the rotted door and Kiba got up to open it, revealing a snowy white Akamaru on the other side. The large dog padded into the shack, shaking snow off of his fur and dripping on the floor boards before settling himself down beside Kiba, who was now situated where he had been before, next to Hinata.

"So how are we gonna tell the Hokage without anyone else finding out?" Kiba asked, scratching a delighted Akamaru behind the ears. "Messenger bird?"

"No, there's too much of a risk that it could be intercepted," Sakura replied, shaking her head slightly.

"But we could encrypt it," Kiba persisted.

"No good." She waved a hand dismissively at him. "Then the code-breaker nins in Konoha would know the message as well."

"What if we send a mission report with clues?" Hinata supplied thoughtfully.

"It might be best if one of us just goes back to Konoha and gives her the report in person," Sakura stated, building on Hinata's idea. "We could make sure the message gets transmitted that way and then we could leave on the condition that our mission is still incomplete."

"But how will the Hokage leave Konoha?" Kiba asked.

"We'll just have to hope that she finds a way," Sakura replied. "After all, she _is _the Hokage."

Kiba and Hinata nodded together, smiling a little.

"It will probably also be best for us to move." Sakura looked over at Naruto, who was watching their conversation closely. "This shack isn't the best place for babies to be raised, and we don't know how long it will take the Godaime to get out of Konoha."

"Well, if we do move, it should definitely be to somewhere warmer," Kiba complained, pulling tiny icicles off of Akamaru's wet nose.

"It can't be anywhere populated," Naruto broke in, looking between them. "I only chose such a cold place in the first place, because Snow Country's population is so sparse and its easy to hide in abandoned shacks like this. I mean, people can't see my kits or they'll know right away."

Hinata rifled through her pack and pulled out two pieces of cloth. She handed them to Naruto and murmured, "I bought these down in the village. They're for the babies."

Naruto separated the two peaces of cloth and revealed them as two little snow hats. One of them was black and the other one was yellow, like his kits' hair. The black one had cartoonish, angry looking eyes stitched over the brim, making it look like some sort of angry penguin, but the yellow one had small sunflowers stitched into it.

"I thought you could put them on their heads, when their out."

"Wow," Naruto smiled, picking up Sasuke, the nearest to him, and placing the black snow cap on his small head, instantly pushing the conspicuous ears against the boy's hair and hiding them from view. He did the same with Mikomi, and all in the room had to admit that the babies looked adorable.

Naruto's smile grew when he placed the squirming babies back on the blanket on the ground. Sasuke was currently trying to push the hat off with his tiny hands, a pinched irritated expression on his face as his eyes remained closed, but he wasn't very successful. Mikomi only stretched a bit before continuing to sleep, her bright blue eyes opening into tiny slits for just a moment.

"Thanks, Hinata-chan," Naruto commented sincerely. "They're great!"

Sakura had to hand it to Hinata, the girl really had a way with gifts. The caps were both practical and utterly adorable. They would certainly be a great help during the mission – as Sakura still liked to refer to it – not just because they were concealing, but also warm for the babies' sensitive heads.

"We should head toward warmer country soon," Sakura stated when all of them, even Kiba, were done oggling the babies. "And we should prepare the report for Tsunade."

"I'll get some more supplies then," Hinata offered, heading for the door.

"I'll give you a hand," Kiba stretched and stood up, Akamaru padding at his heels toward the door.

"I'll go too!" Naruto exclaimed, trying to pull himself up laboriously.

"No, Naruto!" Sakura ordered sternly. "You rest. You're not fully healed yet."

Naruto looked a little put-out, murmuring, "Yes, mother."

But, once again, she ignored his idiocy as he lay back onto the floorboards, his eyes already tellingly at half-mast.

"Oh, wait!" Naruto exclaimed, suddenly sitting up again, his fatigue temporarily forgotten. "Make sure to get a lot of ramen!!"

Hinata smiled and Kiba shook his head, mimicking Sakura, as they both opened the door and walked out, a gust of snow flying into the shack before the door closed again.

"That concentrated starch and MSG you call food is going to kill you, Naruto," Sakura told him.

"At least I'll die happy," Naruto retorted breezily, and a moment later he was completely out cold, his low snores the only sound in the shack.

Sakura pulled out some more dried formula from a box in her bag and stirred it with some water she'd kept in bottles. She placed each mixture into four large baby bottles and twisted the rubbery caps on.

Then she was only left to her thoughts as Naruto continued to snore.

_Idiot_.

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AN: Reviews, comments, critiques are my serum of life. Don't let me die!


	3. Doubts

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

AN: once again, thank you for all of your comments and reviews. I couldn't continue writing as well without them.

* * *

Chapter 2: Doubts

Sakura inked the last of her coded message upon a scroll and rolled it up with some satisfaction. She hoped the code was both difficult but decipherable for her teacher. Of course, she knew Tsunade-sama was an expert at breaking codes as much as she was at medical jutsu, but even after the code was broken, she would have to pick out the clues from the revealed message to find Sakura's SOS.

Of course, there was no point worrying about it now, it was the best she could do. Sakura shoved the scroll into a hard casing, labelled under the kanji for fire and wrapped it in a binding that could only be broken by a genjutsu expelling jutsu. The entire package went into her back pack, which was already filled with weapons, medical supplies, diapers, baby formula, nutrient bars, soldier pills, and some courtesy packs of ramen.

Brushing the hair out of her eyes and shouldering the pack, Sakura stood up and looked back at her teammates, who were already up and ready. Naruto was already healed as well, and he was standing up securely, his two sleeping babies in slings around his middle – Mikomi against his front and Sasuke against his back. Sakura was pleased that Hinata had managed to find such a contraption back down in the village when she and Kiba had gone down for supplies. Naruto also sported a new cloak that managed to cover his body and the babies', which would keep them warm against the elements of snow country until they travelled down to lower, warmer climates.

"Ready yet?" Kiba asked, once again looking barely recognizable within the confines of the hood of his snow jacket.

Sakura was about to respond, but Naruto answered for her, already opening the door and letting in a blast of cold air. "Let's go."

Sakura shared a look with Hinata, who smiled back at her sweetly with that knowing gaze. Naruto was usually the impatient one in Team 7 who strove to take charge during missions, but she had allowed herself in the last week to get used to him when he was too sick to do so.

Their boots crunched into the freshly fallen snow as they walked. The sky above the trees was bright blue with a smattering of invitingly puffy clouds and a wind blew through the trees so that the dappled sunlight on the snow-laden forest floor constantly shifted. Every once and a while great bunches of snow would fall from the shifting branches – this was the only sound to accompany their footsteps as they trekked through the quiet forest.

Sakura pulled a map out of the side pocket of her coat and Kiba peered over at her as Hinata kept watch over their surroundings with her Byakugan. Naruto walked on obliviously ahead, clearly enjoying being outside once again after having been cooped up in that decrepit shack for so long.

"How long is this going to take again?" Kiba muttered, eyeing the map.

"Well," Sakura replied, her finger resting against the top tip of snow country. "We're here and we have to get here, to Grass country." Her finger slid south through the length of snow country and then through Waterfall country, until it stopped in Grass Country. "A journey like that would usually take us about three days, but given the fact that we can't travel by tree and we will most likely have to stop more along the way, it will probably take a little under a week."

Kiba sighed gruffly. "I thought we were going to Grass country because it was close."

"We're going to Grass country because it's convenient," Sakura replied. "It's warm, generally temperate, politically stable, and still close to the border of Fire country."

"It's just, when I said we should go somewhere warm, I was thinking more like, beaches," Kiba muttered, his left hand patting Akamaru's head absently as the dog trotted by.

Sakura gave him a dry look. "You can see by the map that that would have probably taken us double the time. We'd have to go all the way down through River country to the south coast."

"What about going east?" Kiba asked stubbornly, trailing his finger from their current position through the lands just above Fire country and to the east coast beyond.

"That would take us through Rice field country, which harbors the Hidden Village of Sound," Sakura replied blandly.

"Oh." A dawning look of morbid comprehension spread across Kiba's face and he frowned. He peered at the map again. "So it would."

They both knew that they would have to avoid that country at all costs, especially now that it was still in political chaos after Orochimaru's untimely death at the hands of Sasuke.

It would be very difficult to stay safe in such an environment with two helpless babies, but more pressingly, traveling near that country would increase their chances of coming across Sasuke, who was still roaming the area with his new team and building connections. Both Sakura and Kiba had the sense to know that a meeting between Naruto and Sasuke at this moment might prove to be more than awkward – possibly dangerous. Also, Naruto remained tight-lipped on his previous encounter with Sasuke so the missing nin, as far as Sakura, Hinata, and Kiba were concerned, was still an unknown quantity – and thus, potentially dangerous. So it was definitely prudent to keep them apart until everything else was settled and the state of the babies was analyzed more thoroughly by Tsunade.

And those were only the dangerous elements that they could relatively control. A run-in with Akatsuki was probably the most dangerous scenario simply because they couldn't know where members of that organization were, and if they were cornered by a pair of them, it would be a very difficult situation indeed. This was another reason why Sakura wanted to see Tsunade – she wanted to get updated on Akatsuki's dealings and whereabouts so that they could better avoid them without actually having to enter the protection of Fire country.

A baby's cry echoed through the trees and Naruto looked back at Sakura as he pulled his cloak off, revealing little Sasuke, the ultimate motormouth, crying away.

"Can you guys give me a hand?" He asked, pointing to his back where he couldn't reach.

"Is he hungry?" Sakura asked, already searching through her pack for bottles.

"No," Naruto answered definitively, crinkling his nose. "He's definitely had an accident of the solid kind."

Sakura had nearly forgotten how strong Naruto's sense of smell was, and she almost felt sorry for him as she pulled the baby out of the sling and placed his little squirming body on a blanket Kiba had laid out on the snow. As she unwrapped the soiled diaper, both boys grasped their noses.

"I'b so glad you're here, Sakura-chan," Naruto commented nasally. "I don't dink I would be able to do dis."

With all the bustling excitement caused by her brother, Mikomi woke up within her sling, but failed to get too irritated about it. She only stared curiously up at Naruto's face above her and he looked down at her, his eyes looking a bit distant but strangely content as they locked gazes.

"She recognizes you, Naruto-kun," Hinata commented, standing at his right and watching his and Mikomi's warm exchange.

"Really?" Naruto asked softly, a look of wonder crossing his face not for the first time that week.

Hinata nodded, her own expression warm as she regarded Mikomi's curious stare.

Sakura finished wrapping little Sasuke in the diaper and pulled him up into her arms, rocking him to stop him from hiccuping irritatedly. She observed Mikomi's actions – it was as she had thought.

"That is very advanced for a baby barely over a week old," Sakura commented. "She's not supposed to be able to do that for another three weeks at least."

Naruto's gaze finally switched to Sakura's, Mikomi still looking up at him calmly with her bright blue eyes that shown even brighter against the bright yellow of her cap. "They're growing faster, aren't they?"

"It would seem so," Sakura replied still bouncing a quiet Sasuke within her arms.

Naruto seemed to take in her dour expression with some concern. "And you think that's bad." It was more of a statement than a question.

Sakura sighed, choosing to remain slightly ambiguous about what she thought.

"It means that they will mature quickly, they will become smarter faster, they will be able to walk and talk in less than half the time it will take a normal baby, and…" Sakura paused, suddenly feeling slightly trepidatious about her next statement. "they will become more powerful at a quicker rate."

Naruto considered this. "But, that'll be good, right?" A smile bloomed on his lips. "They'll be able to fend for themselves a lot quicker and then we won't have to worry as much for as long."

"Maybe," Sakura replied.

"What d'ya mean?"

This time the question was from Kiba, and both Naruto and Hinata were watching her closely, waiting for her to give voice to her dark thoughts.

Sakura brushed the hair out of her eyes more as a way of stalling the inevitable than actually having to clear her vision. She didn't know if she should voice her concerns to Naruto for fear of his reaction, but she knew she would have to tell him sooner or later, for all their safety. Just in case.

"If they become stronger at such a rapid pace, it's true that they will be able to fight for themselves. In less time they will be able to fight enemies and…" She paused uncomfortably. "Us."

"Us?" Naruto questioned, looking completely bewildered. "But why would they fight us?"

"Because we might not be able to control them," Sakura replied.

Kiba and Hinata both looked at each other and then at Naruto as he tensed slightly.

"Why would we need to control them?" Naruto's voice was strangely low and he was regarding Sakura oddly. "They're my children. They wouldn't hurt me or you."

"Not if they were completely in control of themselves, no," Sakura blurted, voice remarkably steady at the implications of her words.

"What do you mean?" Naruto asked, but his expression told her that he knew exactly what she meant, but he didn't want to believe that she would be saying it.

"Naruto, you're a boy," Sakura stated, her voice stronger than before. "By all laws of nature, you should have never been able to get pregnant. It was the Kyuubi's influence that allowed you to conceive and, in your own way, give birth, and it's the Kyuubi's features that lay for all the world to see on your babies' physical appearances. The demon has found a way to transform your body from behind the seal and create very, very powerful babies. Babies you nearly died giving birth to." Sakura stared at him sternly, ignoring the way his expression was darkening. "This is the same demon that rampaged through the village seventeen years ago and killed a large portion of the population of Konoha. I don't trust it, and neither should you."

Naruto was frowning at her, but he was also looking inward, as though thinking her argument over. His next words were careful, but resolute at the same time. He was clearly going through an inner struggle.

"I know it's weird," He began, circling one arm around Mikomi in her sling. "Me, having babies. Listening to the Kyuubi and taking advice. I know that's strange. But… they're still mine. I can't…I'm not going to hurt my babies for something they couldn't control. I'm not afraid of the Kyuubi and as far as I'm concerned, I'm still in control of him." He cracked a smile, gazing at her reassuringly in the way that only he could. "Everything will be fine, I promise."

Sakura nodded, relenting, and was reminded of when Naruto made a promise to her with that same expression so long ago, which had yet to be fulfilled.

"Okay," she replied convincingly, but her heart wasn't in it.

"We'll help you no matter what," Kiba interjected and Hinata nodded as he slapped a hand across Naruto's shoulders amicably. "If that fox tries anything, we'll just beat it back."

Kiba's approximation of battling Kyuubi was crude and most likely unpractical, but Naruto's mood visibly lightened.

Sakura smiled at him, remembering that this was Naruto and that he had always been number one at surviving and beating the odds. If he couldn't do it, no one could. She knew that by now. But she couldn't keep the images of Naruto laying bloody and mangled on the floor of that shack out of her thoughts. So, in the end, she remained cautious about their situation instead of optimistic. Silently allowing the group on a whole to relax while she tried to keep the forced smile on her face.

One thing was for certain, she thought as she handed little Sasuke back to Naruto and they all packed up to continue walking, she was definitely going to feel a lot less anxious about the entire situation once Tsunade had a look at Naruto and his babies.

Until then, she would remain suspicious.

* * *

Four days and three rest stops later, they had found their way into a giant bamboo forest with towering bamboo stalks and large pools of fresh water dotting the forest floor. It was the geographic trait that marked their entrance into grass country after days of snow and then tropical forests.

After a bit of prodding by Sakura, Naruto had reluctantly agreed to allow Akamaru to carry the babies in the slings across his back. Everyone in the group had noticed how tired Naruto was becoming when he had nearly tripped over a fallen log on the tropical forest floor. Given the fact that he was carrying his babies at the time, Sakura had absolutely insisted that he give them up to Akamaru's care for a while.

Naruto didn't want to admit it, but his chakra reserves still felt burnt out, especially days after walking endlessly through unpopulated wilderness – one extremely cold and the other hot and muggy. He was still healing and he could tell that Kyuubi was still largely occupied with rejuvenating its own reserves. So not only was his usual stamina nearly spent, but his back-up as well. In fact, Sakura was still forcing him to eat soldier pills every night along with his 'bowls of processed death' as she liked to refer to his beloved ramen.

Even though he had given them up, Naruto couldn't let his kits out of his sight. So, he took to walking beside Akamaru through the forest of Waterfall country and into the corrigated land of towering bamboo shoots within Grass country.

The sunlight filtered through the bamboo leaves and made it to the forest floor with a largely verdant tint. Everything was impossibly green and shady; even the water barely covered a field of green swaying grass just below the surface. Sometimes they would have to walk through it, because they didn't trust the old fallen bamboo chutes that bridged the gap between pools, and the blades of grass would tickle Naruto's toes within his sandals.

Every once and a while, he would have to ask Sakura or Hinata for some baby formula and they would all stop so that he could feed the kits.

Sasuke was always the one who sounded the alarm when this needed to happen, which was both a blessing and a curse in Naruto's opinion. The kit was so irritable that Naruto almost couldn't help being reminded of his namesake, but it was the loud, screaming wails that broke that illusion almost right away. His sister would merely wake up and watch them all curiously when this occurred, and then she would happily suck on the offered bottle without much complaint. She was the calm one; the one who stared at Naruto as though she knew him inside and out.

She looked up at him as he fed her, her eyes almost unblinking, but her gaze fixed upon his features as if trying to drink him in. He couldn't help feeling entranced by that cerulean stare, framed by creamy skin and slightly flushed, whisker marked cheeks. He couldn't help thinking time and again how beautiful she was and how wonderful he felt as he held her.

It was the first time he had ever felt truly…

Wanted. Needed. Never to be alone again.

He wondered uncertainly if this was the by-product of some sort of twisted maternal instinct; if, in fact, he was becoming effeminate as Kiba so often joked – always loudly to make sure Naruto would hear every word. It was strange to realize that he almost didn't care if that was the case, because he felt happier than he had in a long time.

For so many years he had trailed the one person he thought could give him these feelings of familial connection.

Need. Want.

The one person who understood familial bonds inside and out, and yet still failed to see the one that connected him to another so strongly. Sasuke had been corrupted by destruction of the worst kind, and Naruto had grown to full-heartedly hate Itachi for his actions against the Uchiha clan; Itachi's parents, Sasuke's parents, uncles, aunts, cousins.

It was true that Naruto hadn't really been able to understand these bonds and how it felt when they were ripped away – but that had all changed the moment Sasuke had left him at the Valley of the End; because he was the closest to real family Naruto had ever known. Even above his many father figures; Sandaime, Iruka, Jiraiya, and to a lesser extent Kakashi, who were always distant in comparison. With Sasuke, he knew what family was supposed to be, and with Sasuke, he knew the pain of losing it.

These had been trying times, but he had never given up, and now…even though Sasuke was still gone…

Now he had something he had always dreamed of, the real reason he had wanted to become Hokage of an entire village – thousands of eyes looking to him, acknowledging him, needing him to protect them. He finally had a little piece of that. He had a family, and he realized now that that had always been what he had really wanted. That was what made him happy.

Mikomi's eyes drooped a bit as Naruto watched her. _If only Sasuke could see this._

Naruto lowered his eyes, and bit his lower lip. Mikomi's eyes slid shut once again, fully fast asleep.

His thoughts fell back to Sakura's words earlier, but he refused to let what Sakura had said get to him. He refused to think that he would lose all of this, because the Fox was plotting against him. Her words had hit hard because deep down, Naruto had had the same fears; especially after he had learned from the Fox about his improbable pregnancy, and maybe even a little before that. He had been afraid and his future had looked very dark at that moment. But now, he was calm and optimistic.

No, he knew the consequences better than anyone and he knew the risks. He had already known just through basic experience the hardship his kits would have in the world purely due to their appearance and possibly their lineage, and he knew that he would have to control the Fox more thoroughly once the pregnancy was complete.

He had done it to a lesser extant his entire life, so it wasn't much of an extra burden. Besides, he was confident that he'd be able to control it – as confident as he was that he would beat Neji in the Chuunin exams, and eventually, Gaara in the forests of Fire country. He would do it, simply, because he had to, and for him, there was no looking back.

The bamboo forest eventually thinned and Naruto stepped out into a field of yellow, purple, red, and blue wild flowers that stretched out in every direction, framed by imposing purple mountains and what sounded like a babbling brook to his left.

"Wow," Kiba muttered from behind him, before stepping beside him and taking in the view, his nostrils flaring at all the new fragrances.

"It's beautiful," Hinata murmured.

Naruto had to agree, and he stretched his back and arms as he took it all in, placing his hands lazily behind his head and smiling. He breathed it all in, just as Kiba had, and the smells were almost overwhelming but not unpleasant. Mikomi let out a little sneeze from the other side of Akamaru's body, and Hinata giggled.

"There should be an abandoned shack around here," Sakura stated, still looking at the map and walking ahead of them as she created a trail through the flowers.

They all followed and Hinata once again activated her Byakugan as she looked around. It must have been strenuous for her to keep it active for so many days, but she had agreed with Sakura that it was a necessary precaution when travelling through the wilderness in such a small group.

"So, how'd ya know that a place was here?" Kiba asked, looking forward at Sakura's back curiously.

"I stayed here while training with Tsunade-sama once," Sakura replied, flicking her gaze from the map to her surroundings. "It's good neutral territory to train in. Large open spaces, fair weather, and you can catch fish in the stream over there." She pointed to their left and Naruto could just make out gleaming water trailing just beyond a bank that led into another forest.

"So, why is the hut we're going to abandoned?" Kiba questioned. "It's not like this isn't prime real estate."

"Twenty-five years ago this entire area was embroiled in a war between Earth and Fire country. So it was abandoned," Sakura replied knowledgeably, pausing to pick a yellow flower for herself and placing it into her hair absently. "The hut was once the site for a gold mining operation, but there isn't any more gold so, the people who once lived here just never came back." She looked back, noticing that Kiba's mouth was opening for another question. "Tsunade-sama told me."

"Ah," Kiba murmured.

"Tsunade-no-baachan certainly knows her stuff," Naruto exclaimed, smiling as the sun set slowly between a break in the mountains to their right, washing the field in a golden haze. He could imagine raising his kits here. He could watch them grow and train them right here; helping them catch fish from the river – not that he'd ever been any good at that – and pass the time training and sparring with Kiba, Sakura, and Hinata.

He barely noticed that they had reached the hut as these happy thoughts raced through his head, but he pulled himself together when Sakura opened one creaky door, which led into a multi-roomed hut, complete with a kitchen and common area.

Kiba whistled in appreciation. "This is _nice_. Although a little dirty," he said as he dragged one of his fingers along the top of a dusty, low, wooden table surrounded by four sitting cushions.

Naruto watched Kiba go into another room, probably staking out the best spot for him to crash.

Akamaru came in and Naruto pulled the kits out of their slings, holding them in either arm as they slowly opened their eyes from their half-nap. Naruto turned them to face him and beamed down at them. "This is your new home, kits. Isn't it great?"

Mikomi smiled brightly in response to his grin, something Naruto had never seen before, but Sasuke just looked up at him with a slightly perturbed expression, his mouth pouting and his dark eyes strangely matching the angry penguin eyes stitched into his hat. Naruto couldn't keep himself from laughing, which seemed to illicit a cute little glare from the object of his glee.

"Oh!" Hinata exclaimed, noticing Mikomi as she walked into the hut. "Mikomi's smiling."

Sakura walked over, her opened pack still in her arms and peered at the happy kit. She nodded, "so she is." But she looked uncomfortable about it instead of genuinely happy like Hinata was.

Obviously, Mikomi wasn't supposed to be able to smile yet either. It had only been two weeks.

Naruto cleared his throat. "Where should I put the kits?"

"There's a room with a futon." Sakura pointed to his right, indicating an open door that led to another room. "You and the babies can sleep in there until we can manage to buy a crib."

"Great," Naruto replied, going into the room with his kits. He kind of needed a nap, and he knew the kits would like that too. After all, they spent more time asleep than awake. They just couldn't get enough of it, apparently.

Sakura stood in the middle of the common area alone as everyone got situated in various rooms about the hut; her mind still full of doubts.

* * *

"I'm going," Sakura stated from the walkway to the hut's front door.

Naruto, Kiba, and Hinata stood at the threshold, waiting to bid their farewells.

"You sure you don't just want to use one of my summons?" Naruto asked. "I mean, Gamakichi is pretty reliable. He's gotten messages to the Hokage pretty quick before."

"Yeah, and then every one and their grandmother in Konoha will know that it's you sending the message." Sakura rolled her eyes at him. She knew he was really just trying to keep the whole operation from ever happening. He was still wary of letting anyone in Konoha know about his whereabouts. She smiled at him reassuringly, shouldering her pack. "I'll be back in three days."

"Good luck," Hinata said, smiling sweetly at her and waving.

"Tell the Godaime to get her ass over here fast so we can all stop worrying," Kiba stated bluntly, scratching his twitching nose.

Akamaru barked as if seconding the motion, but Hinata just gasped at his language and actually frowned at him slightly.

She looked to Naruto, who was smiling down at her, but his expression was mixed. "Have a safe journey, Sakura-chan. Don't get caught."

She knew that he meant not to get seen by anyone in Konoha other than Tsunade, rather than getting caught by any dangerous nin. So she nodded her head in understanding. She would be careful, but she already felt less tense now that she was going to inform Tsunade-sama, and thus, release some of the burden of responsibility that Sakura felt now that she was so sure of impending doom. She wondered if she needed this just about as much as she thought Naruto and his babies did.

She waved at them one last time and they waved back, before she leapt into the trees on the other side of the stream, racing toward Konoha.

She hoped she was wrong, about all of it.

* * *

AN: You all may remember some of these terrains from various episodes, filler episodes, and Kakashi's Gaiden. I got the Naruto world map and all the information on each country from the Leaf Ninja website. It was very helpful.

Thoughts? Comments? Reviews? Tips? Killing Intent? I'm open to all, my pretties!


	4. Help Naruto

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or the characters therein.

AN: I just want to thank everyone for their reviews. They've been really great, and the critiques have been quite helpful.

This will probably be the last update for a while, because I'm going to be starting art school in a few days. After I get settled there, I should be able to work on my fics again, including _Sparta _and _Sinking Into Sweet Uncertainty_.

Thanks again, and enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 3: Help Naruto

Kakashi's one visible eye crinkled up in glee, scanning the pages of his new Icha Icha novel from Jiraiya with a tell-tale blush rising just above the dark mask that covered the lower half of his face. He could barely contain his excitement when he read that the story's handsome police detective, Sugiyama Noriaki, was going to be forced to interrogate the beautiful and cunning criminal, Takeuchi Junko, who, Kakashi had already learned on page three, was simply an innocent captive of the ruthless crime boss, Ishikawa Hideo aka 'the weasel'.

Kakashi could already tell that Noriaki and Junko were going to be the story's main love-interests, but it was still a mystery how Noriaki would manage to save Junko from 'the weasel's' evil clutches once he realized her true situation.

_But, what if this story was a romantic tragedy and Junko could never be saved?_ Kakashi wondered feverishly as he turned the page. Although, Jiraiya had never ended a story tragically before, it still set Kakashi's reeling mind on edge as Noriaki finally entered the interrogation room to see and become entranced by the beautiful Junko, sitting bound to her chair.

_Kinky_, Kakashi couldn't help thinking as he turned the page yet again.

"Oi, Kakashi."

Kids were playing a game down on the street below his roof-top perch, but Kakashi failed to notice as the novel pulled him in deeper. He also failed to notice the thing nudging him in the leg.

And now Noriaki was trying to do his best not to stare at Junko, like the gentleman that he was, but he wouldn't last for long, Kakashi could tell…

"Oi!"

Yes, Junko was a seductress, Noriaki knew this, but his stoic pride would not allow him to fall prey to her wiles. He was a police detective, damnit!

"Oi! Kakashi!"

Suddenly, Kakashi was nose to nose with a little wrinkley brown dog who was doing a fairly good job of flattening the spine of Kakashi's open book with his considerably paltry weight.

"Pakkun." Kakashi immediately turned business-like, his book pushed out of his mind for the time being, which was a feat that he had perfected after years of being a shinobi who happened to like reading perverted novels during dangerous missions that could require his full attention at a moments notice or he would die.

"Kakashi." The dog looked as unimpressed as always, his eyes sagging dispiritedly beneath his wrinkled brow.

"You have news?" Kakashi asked, his interest piqued by the dog's mere presence. After all, he had sent Pakkun out months ago, specifically to monitor the whereabouts of Sakura's team and report their progress if anything should come up. No one could accuse him of neglecting his former students, especially when one had gone missing without a trace.

"Sakura is back in the village," the dog replied.

"Without her teammates?" Then Kakashi silently added, _without Naruto?_

Pakkun shook his small wrinkley head almost sympathetically, as though he could read Kakashi's thoughts. "I'd lost their scent in Snow Country. And now it's just her. She's going toward the Hokage Tower."

Kakashi nodded, getting up from his crouch and stashing his book away. "Thanks, Pakkun."

And then he was gone in a whisp of smoke, before the dog could reply.

* * *

"Tsunade, Sakura is back from her mission."

Tsunade started and let out a small noise ranging between a snort and a gasp, before her head shot up from her desk and her bleary vision landed upon the vaguely recognizable form of a person standing in front of her desk.

She wiped her sleep fogged eyes and squinted a bit as the fuzzy blob came closer to her desk. She recognized the voice as Shizune's, but she couldn't make out the features of the figure in front of her. Either way, there was no mistaking the hot pink color sitting atop the blob's head, so she gave up trying to focus for the moment and just settled for Shizune's word on the subject – she already had a headache that was killing her and she didn't need to make it worse.

"Don't tell me you drank again last night?" Shizune muttered exasperatedly and Tsunade could feel the woman pull a piece of paper off of her slightly sticky chin.

Tsunade just waved her off, holding back a groan as the world slightly gained focus.

That asshole Jiraiya…wheedling her into drinking sake with him the night before…she'd promised herself she wouldn't let that happen again. This must have been the fourth time Jiraiya had carried her in her drunken stuper all the way back to the Hokage Tower of all places and left her passed out at her desk. It was moments like this when she wondered why she had ever held back that killing blow after he had peeped on her in the bath houses when they were still young teammates.

Tsunade rubbed the bridge of her nose in a soothing circular motion. Her eyes stung as she once again tried to focus on her visiter who was a lot clearer now, green eyes watching her with slight concern and more than a little exasperation, before she wondered if her office had always been this damn bright.

"Tsunade-shishou," Sakura began, pulling out a scroll and placing it on Tsunade's desk. "I have a mission report."

Tsunade perked up at that, her mind suddenly kicking into gear and allowing her to take in the gravity of her current situation. After all, her student had been gone for months already and this was the first report that had arrived with anything other than a messenger bird. Besides, she couldn't deny that Naruto's unexpected absence from the village had been bothering her for months now. She hoped that Sakura coming personally to the village to give the report could only mean good things.

Tsunade took the scroll and formed the handseal to dispel the bindings.

"Have you found him?"

"It's in the report," Sakura replied evasively.

Tsunade looked at her questioningly, but the girl only stared back at her squarely, giving nothing away. It was in that moment, now that she could see her old student properly, that Tsunade realized how tired Sakura looked – bags were already formed beneath her eyes and she looked like she had slept fitfully at best for weeks.

Tsunade unrolled the scroll, deciding to let her student off the hook in favor of studying the actual report, before she asked any more questions. She stared at the script and frowned. It was all in code.

She held the paper up carefully and glanced at her student before looking back at the script. If Sakura had encoded the message, without sending it to the Konoha decryptors by way of a Konoha messenger bird, then there was no doubt that this message was considered by Sakura to be important and highly confidential. Shizune was still in the room, sending curious glances between Sakura and the report in Tsunade's hands, so Tsunade made no comment as she read the encrypted message.

_SBKRF GHZOYR UREU_

_JNGRE SYBJF QBJA SHERL ONPXF_

_OHGYRESYL JVATF FUVAR_

_GHZCYR SHEEL SBKRF TB_

_SYBJREF PYVAO GUR FBVY ORYBJ_

_CNVAGNQ ZBBA TYBJVAT_

_FABJ PNECRQ ZBHAGNVAF FBNEVAT_

_RVTUG SBHG CEVAGF FVAX VA_

_QNAPR YVGGYR SBKRG NYY AVTUG_

_UBZNA SNPRFVA CYNVA FVTUG_

_YRNIRF SNYY ORARNGU GERRF_

_OHEARQ VA N SVREL JNEZ OERRMR_

_QVEGL UNAQF CVAPUVAT_

_GUR ZBGURE XABJF GUR FABJ CNGU_

_SRRG FGHZOYR GUEBHTU SYBJRE SVRYQF_

_ARIRE GB TB UBZR_

_SBKRF PEL NAQ ENIRAF PEBJ_

_JURER VF ZL YBIRE_

She studied it, looking for possible patterns – numeric or pictographic – but she found none that looked promising at first inspection. It was clear, however, that each paragraph was the stanza of a haiku. The form itself was easily recognizable, after all, even if she could not count out the syllables.

She looked up at Sakura once again, but the girl was still watching her silently. So, she got to work. First she went through all the normal codes known to ninja, but as she had predicted, none of them revealed anything more than more jumbles of letters or numbers if she was very unlucky. It was a few minutes later before she alligned the letters with their corresponding half in the alphabet by placing the first thirteen letters above the second thirteen in a set, before she realized that that would break the code.

She wrote out the corresponding set.

A B C D E F G H I J K L M

N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Using that as her key, she got to work decoding the message, which resulted in a long, if flawed, haiku.

_Foxes tumble down herh_

_Water flows down furey backs_

_Butlerfly wings shine_

_Tumple furry foxes go_

_Flowers clinb the soil below_

_Paintad moon glowing_

_Snow carped mountains soaring_

_Eight fout prints sink in_

_Dance little foxet all night_

_Homan faces in plain sight_

_Leaves fall beneath trees_

_Burned in a fiery warm breeze_

_Dirty hands pinching_

_The mother knows the snow path_

_Feet stumble through flower fields_

_Never to go home_

_Foxes cry and ravens crow_

_Where is my lover_

The haiku relied heavily on the imagery of foxes and scenery. The scenery changed in a way that seemed sequential, from snow to warmer climates and ending in a flower field, like the travelogue of a journey through clearly distinct countries. She recognized the path more or less. It described the mountains of Snow Country, through the warmer humid climate of the rain forests in Waterfall Country, and ended in the middle of grass country within a flower field that she knew well. It wasn't hard for her to guess that it was more or less an account of where Sakura had travelled with Kiba and Hinata on their mission.

Although the poem said that eight foot prints sink into the snow, meaning their were four travelers and not three. So, Sakura and her team had picked someone else up. Tsunade didn't hesitate to think that this could be Naruto, but if that was the case, why wasn't he brought back to the village?

She scanned through the poem for further clues and it was the foxes that most intrigued her, because they seemed to be a deliberate subject of the entire poem. Although, the story told about the foxes was a sad one; almost tragic. A mother left with kits, never to see her lover, or go home again. She didn't think that even the plot could be simply aesthetic, and it made something sink into the pit of her stomach. At first, she was inclined to believe that the fox was Naruto, but the poem was about a fox-mother and her kits, which made her think that it just wasn't the case.

The misspellings were clearly another clue, and it didn't take her long to replace the incorrect letters within the words of the poem with the correct ones and spell out the message in order: _help naruto_.

Tsunade couldn't help but feel distinctly unsettled.

She rolled up the scroll and leaned back in her chair as she regarded the girl standing before her. She couldn't say that the report didn't puzzle her, but she understood enough to make due with what she did know.

"Understood," she finally replied and burned the scroll in her hands. "Thank you for your report, Sakura."

Sakura's shoulders seemed to sag in relief at her reply and she bowed respectfully. "Yes, Tsunade-shishou."

Tsunade watched her as she left, before she turned her gaze to a slightly confused Shizune.

She was about to speak when Kakashi jumped in through one of the open windows. His walk toward her desk was as casual as ever, but his one visible eye was more focused than usual and trained on her. Tsunade knew right then that he had heard the exchange between her and Sakura and now he must want answers. She had nearly forgotten that he would be just as keen on keeping up with the search and rescue operation of his former student as she was, and that was a mistake. She should have prepared for this at the outset.

"Kakashi, you do know this office has a door for a reason?" She greeted, clasping her hands in front of her face and watching him as he stopped in front of her. His stance was relaxed, but his expression, or what could be seen of it, was not.

She knew he wanted information that she simply could not give, not that she knew the entire story herself. She knew her student well and Sakura wouldn't go through all the precautions she had if she thought the secret was safe with anyone but Tsunade. So, she would honor the silent confidentiality agreement until she could properly assess the situation herself.

"I heard Sakura was here," Kakashi stated, cutting right to the point of the matter.

"Yes," Tsunade nodded genially. "She came to turn in her mission report."

"And how has that progressed?" Kakashi was staring down at her now, his eye strangely focused.

"I can't really say." Tsunade sat back in her chair and looked up at him properly. "The report was vague." That wasn't necessarily a lie.

"I wasn't asking for your half-truths," he muttered in a controlled tone.

"Kakashi!" Shizune gasped, but Tsunade held up her hand to silence her. She was okay with this, because she knew, if she had been in Kakashi's position, she would have been doing the same things he was doing. She would have moved heaven and earth to find her former student and get to the bottom of the situation whenever a lead presented itself.

But that didn't change the fact that she couldn't tell him anything of what she knew.

"Kakashi, I'm a woman," Tsunade smiled and clasped her hands once again, leaning forward. "I never tell the full truth."

Kakashi remained silent, but he still looked a bit irritated with her. Tsunade's smile faded.

She had never seen his mask slip so far, not even when Sasuke had left the village those many years ago. Although she, of all people, could understand the pain of going through that type of loss all over again. Clearly Kakashi had staked a lot in his remaining students, even if he hadn't truly given up on the one who still failed to return. She could relate to his frustration, but she was the Hokage, as Jiraiya was always so fond of pointing out, and she couldn't very well leave the village every time one of her own went missing. Even if it was Naruto.

Tsunade sighed. "Kakashi," she waited for his eyes, which had been staring at the floor in deep thought, to focus on her before she continued. "I would tell you if I knew anything concerning Naruto, but I don't. I only have a hunch, but it's shaky at best. The only thing I could glean from the report is that Sakura's team is making progress."

Kakashi watched her for awhile, assessing her, as they stared at one another, before he relented and cocked his head to the side. "You taught Sakura well, Tsunade-hime."

Tsunade was a bit confused by his words – he still looked strangely reserved – but she nodded, "Yes, although you taught her well before me."

Kakashi nodded, a strange look in his eye. "Excuse me then." And he vanished in a puff of smoke.

"He seems strange, that Kakashi," Shizune said moments after he left so abruptly.

Tsunade just shrugged, rubbing a finger into her temple. "He's probably just going to do his own investigations behind my back. Not that I hadn't expected that."

"He still doesn't show you the proper respect."

Tsunade chuckled. "The moment shinobi start showing me respect around here is the moment I die." A vision of Naruto yelling at her to give him a new mission filled her mind's eye.

Maybe she was a sadomasochist, but she enjoyed putting him in his place every time he disrespected her. She supposed she preferred it that way or else being Hokage would be infinitely boring.

"So, are you going to leave soon?" Shizune asked.

Tsunade looked at her, slightly surprised, before she smiled. "You know me too well."

Shizune smiled back and nodded. "At least this time it isn't for gambling. I'll make arrangements for your departure."

"Agreed," Tsunade replied, getting up from her desk and choosing a nondescript traveling cloak from a hidden closet at the far end of the room.

She then formed a set of handseals and created her own clone. She watched the clone sit back down behind her desk, a look of frustration already covering its features as it stared at the stacks of official documents it would have to sort through.

She nodded to Shizune and was gone in a swirl of smoke, nearly blowing the stack of papers out of Kotetsu's hands as he entered the room.

"What was that?" He gasped, getting to his knees to pick up the hundreds of documents strewn about the ground.

Shizune crouched down and helped him. "Tsunade-sama left the window open again."

Kotetsu frowned skeptically, but he looked up to see the Godaime busily working behind her desk and completely ignoring, which should have tipped him off that something was definitely amiss, but he let it slide, thinking he needed to sleep a lot more and go out drinking a lot less.

It wasn't long before the real Tsunade was traveling above the rooftops of Konoha, masking her chakra completely and passing the Western gate without notice. She let the wind push back the hood of her cloak and play through her honey-blonde hair as she jumped through the trees of Fire Country. She knew exactly where she was going and how long it would take. One and a half days. She was eager to get there, so that she would have all the answers and hopefully see Naruto safe, so she picked up the pace, rocketing through the forest canopy with little effort.

She followed her course steadily, the setting sun in her face and the wind in her hair, completely oblivious to the small dog following her at a distance.

* * *

There he was in the darkness again, the green gate rising before him, steam rising through it's bars and condensing upon his face. Something was moving behind the bars and Naruto waited for it, a frown on his face. He hadn't expected the Fox to require his attention so soon.

Its red chakra began to seep through the gates, slowly forming a bubbling head, slanted eyes and wide, grinning teeth the size of small houses.

"What do you want, Fox?" Naruto questioned, feeling courageous despite the chill that always crept up his spine whenever he was brought into his own soul.

The ground rumbled with the Fox's deep malevolent laugh, but it's teeth remained locked together in a menacing expression, meant to intimidate.

"I only wanted to see how my bitch was doing," the Fox rumbled, it's bubbling chakra filling the room in a rancid, pink mist.

"I'm not your bitch!" Naruto balked at the term, Kyuubi had taken to calling him that after he had become pregnant, but Naruto had never liked it – he'd always protested, and the Fox had stopped for a while.

"Oh?" the Fox rumbled, amused. "Then who's bitch are you?"

"Asshole," Naruto spat. "I'm not a bitch at all. I'm your container."

"Container of my kits," the fox mused darkly.

"They're not yours!" Naruto's retort was so automatic he didn't even have to think about it. He wouldn't ever, _ever _let the Fox call them his again.

The Fox's laugh filled the dank room and shook the ground beneath Naruto's feet, but he stepped forward undaunted by the Fox's display.

"Oh?" The Fox beared his teeth. "You speak so confidently when you clearly know nothing, _bitch_."

Naruto frowned, his voice low. "I know enough to control you."

The Fox laughed louder still, booming around Naruto and echoing through the concrete walls of the Fox's prison. "Like you controlled me when you rutted with that Uchiha?"

"What're you talkin' about, Fox?" Naruto questioned hotly, but on the inside he was confused and scared. He could barely remember the encounter, which had bothered him for a long time, but this was the first time that he felt a real urgent stroke of fear at what Kyuubi was implying.

The Fox only smirked in the best way he could passed all his giant teeth, his eyes alight as he surveyed his prey.

"Answer me!" Naruto shouted, but the Fox did nothing but smile that obnoxiously knowing smile, its bubbling chakra creeping closer around Naruto's immobile feet.

"They will be mine, bitch." The Fox's voice rumbled around him and within him as the bubbling hot chakra slid up Naruto's abnormally stiff legs, swirling higher until he was completely locked within it's grip. Naruto struggled against his sudden incapacitation, but it was no use. "And then, so will you."

The chakra surrounding him became hotter, like molten lava and Naruto screamed, feeling as though he was being burnt alive. He had never known such pain in all of his life. It felt as though his very soul was encased in flame, and his throat suddenly burned, but he couldn't stop screaming in pure agony.

* * *

Hinata woke up with a start to the sound of agonized screams. She stumbled to her feet quickly, following the sound through the still dark house. She nearly knocked her shin into the low sitting room table before she pushed open the door to Naruto's room and alighted upon a screaming Naruto and his wailing babies. He was completely surrounded by red chakra; his body writhing in the utmost pain. Her eyes widened for that split second as she took it all in, and she saw this same chakra encasing the two babies who writhed on either side of him upon the rumpled futon.

"Kiba!" She shouted in her loudest voice, before turning back around to try to help Naruto in any way.

She tried to push him back to stop him from writhing but the chakra burned her hand before she pulled it away. She looked around at the three of them and noted that all of their eyes were closed as though they were still asleep. Maybe if she could just wake them up…

She activated her byakugan and noticed that threads of chakra were connecting them all, and the source seemed to be from behind Naruto's seal. She tried to look for a point where the source could be interrupted, but she wasn't an expert in seals or the Kyuubi, for that matter, so she was cautious about what to do.

"Hinata?" It was Kiba who rushed into the room from behind her. He stopped and stared at the writhing bodies on the ground and he spoke loudly above the din of their screams. "What in the seven hells is going on?!"

"The Kyuubi's chakra is outside of the seal somehow," Hinata replied shakily, her voice barely above the noise. "I'm trying to find a way to interrupt it and hopefully push it back behind the seal."

"How're you gonna do that?" Kiba questioned, wrinkling his nose. "They smell like the fox, I don't smell anything but it."

Hinata remained silent, searching the threads of chakra for the best possible source point within Naruto's body. The largest threads were flowing from his stomach and through his arms to the babies on either side, and a large juncture for the flow was right below his shoulders.

Hinata nodded to herself, and gathered chakra within her fingers. If she could just get in and out fast enough…

"Hinata, what're you doing?" Kiba interrupted, pulling one of her shoulders back. "You can't touch him, the chakra will burn you alive!"

She turned her head and looked at him for a brief moment, she saw fear and concern in his eyes and it made some small part of her feel warm and suddenly a lot more courageous than she should have felt. "I have to try!"

Pulling herself away from Kiba's grasp, she plunged her fingers into the soft spots beneath Naruto's shoulders, completely cutting the flow of the Kyuubi's chakra from his arms and forcing some of own chakra in to interrupt the flow. She pulled back quickly, but her hands had still been badly singed and her fingers looked to be blistering.

"Hinata, you're hands!" Kiba exclaimed as she held them in front of her face clinically.

Her attention snapped to the babies, however, when they stopped wailing as a large portion of the Kyuubi's chakra left them, cut off at Naruto's major pressure points.

She sighed in relief as the babies went still, their eyes still closed and their faces mildly contorted in pain.

She searched for more pressure points that could interrupt the Kyuubi's chakra flow, but Naruto's arms suddenly surged with blue chakra and pushed the red chakra back. She and Kiba watched as the red chakra retreated fitfully until it was back behind the seal, swirling deep within Naruto's chakra reserves.

"Kami-sama," Kiba muttered when the screaming stopped and all the occupents of the room went motionless. He wiped a hand across his forehead and his bare chest, which was now sweating profusely. Hinata blushed when she realized they were both still in their night clothes. "Are they alive?"

Hinata nodded solemnly, and fell to her knees beside Naruto in order to check his and the babies' vitals. Each of them had a surprisingly strong heartbeat and their breathing was deep and measured as if they had been sleeping calmly for hours.

She placed a burnt hand on Naruto's whiskered cheek and nearly jumped when he stirred, his eyes opening into small slits.

"Naruto?" Hinata murmured, and Kiba stood over her shoulder, placing a hand on her back as he did so.

Naruto let out a long, low groan. "Hinata? Kiba?"

He opened his eyes more fully to reveal deep burgundy pupils, but his expression was far from menacing.

"Naruto, what happened?" Hinata asked gently as Naruto sat up blearily, the covers falling around his waist to reveal his bare stomach and the clearly visible black spiral seal above it.

Naruto remained silent, clearly troubled as he looked down at the fisting hands in his lap.

"That was really scary, man," Kiba said. "You were screaming and wailing just like your babies and that red chakra…"

Naruto's head snapped up with an expression of alarm. "My kits?"

"Yeah, they looked like they were in a lot of pain," Kiba replied warily. "That red chakra was all around you and your babies, and man…it looked like you were dying."

Naruto had already scrambled for his babies during Kiba's little speech and now he was holding them in both of his arms. The babies writhed a bit before waking up, and Naruto simply stared down at their faces, his burgundy eyes getting wider.

"They're fine, Naruto-kun," Hinata added, wondering what had captured Naruto's attention so thoroughly, but unable to see the babies' faces from her angle. "In fact, it seems as though they're healthier than before."

"Damnit…" Naruto whispered, his voice hoarse. "Damnit…damnit…damnit…"

"What?" Kiba sat down beside Hinata, his eye brows knitted in concern. "What happened?"

Naruto shook his head and then turned his babies so that they were facing them.

"Shit!" Kiba exclaimed, and Hinata gasped lightly.

Naruto just frowned, frustration etched into his features.

Hinata couldn't help staring at little Mikomi and Sasuke's faces, which for all intents and purposes were exactly the same but for the bright yellow color that now encased their pupils and made them look more bestial than before.

"Naruto, I'd hate to say it," Kiba began. "But I think Sakura is right."

Naruto's expression hardened slightly and the newly golden-eyed Sasuke began to cry.

* * *

AN: In the process of writing this chapter I have come to realize the major plot, so hurray for that. I'm beginning to find that I write long multi-chaptered fics better when I just start out with a basic plot that may cover at least three chapters and then wing it from there. I'm currently suffering from a shame-spiral induced by writing _Sparta_, because that fic is very, very planned-out and it has been stressing me out. Not so with this story! Yes, this is all going to work out better than I had hoped. Yay.

By-the-by, I'm not going to give up on _Sparta_, for those of you who I know are wondering. I'm just taking a much needed vacation so that I can clear my head and re-read it without thinking that it sucks major balls. M'kay.

'Til next time then.

REVIEWS ARE MY LIFE-ESSENCE!


	5. The Root of the Problem

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters therein.

AN: Once again thank you everyone for all the feedback on the last chapter! I hope this one does not disappoint.

I also want to point out that this will probably be the last update in a while, simply because I'm about to start classes at art school tomorrow. Wish me luck!

* * *

Chapter 4: The Root of the Problem

The leaf-strewn ground crunched beneath Tsunade's feet when she stopped in front of a make-shift campsite with a dying fire, its light flickering against the trees surrounding the clearing and revealing the sleeping form of Sakura on the other side. She hadn't really expected to catch up with Sakura before she reached her destination, but she figured that Sakura was probably tired from her journeying these past months, and so she had taken a break when Tsunade had not.

Tsunade sat down beside her and watched the sky above turn brighter as dawn arrived. When the sky became a light blue hue, the tiny campfire died out completely, and, as if it was Sakura's alarm clock, the girl slowly opened her eyes and stretched. Tsunade watched her sit up and yawn a bit, shooting her arms straight into the air and stretching them, before she finally turned her head to survey her surroundings. Tsunade waited patiently for Sakura to realize she was there, but when the girl did, she nearly jumped out of her skin.

"_Tsunade-shishou_!"

"Yes?" Tsunade pushed down her amusement at her frazzled student, who's pink hair was still sticking out every which way from a bad case of bed-head.

"What…How did you get out of Konohagakure no satou so quickly?" Sakura's eyes were wide as she looked at her, hands already going through her own pink locks and attempting to pick out the knots and some twigs.

"It wasn't difficult," Tsunade replied breezily. "I do it all the time."

Sakura looked confused for a moment, before comprehension crossed her features and her expression turned dry. "You can't be gambling that much, can you?"

Tsunade just waved the accusation away. "Anyway, that's not the point. You need to tell me what's going on."

Sakura suddenly looked solemn at that. "Well, I probably shouldn't brief you until we get there. I think it's something that needs to be seen."

The girl looked away, before Tsunade could reply to that ominous statement, riffling through her pack and producing two nutrient bars. "Would you like some breakfast, Tsunade-shishou?"

"This isn't going to be good news, is it?" Tsunade asked as she waved the terrible nutrient bar away, bringing the discussion back from Sakura's attempted diversion.

"Well," Sakura had the grace to look a bit sheepish. "That will all depend upon you, shishou."

Tsunade sighed, bad news it was then.

"Then we should get going." She stood up and brushed off her pants, pulling the concealing cloak back around her. "I can't stand staying in the dark for this long."

* * *

It was half a day before they made it to the valley of wild flowers in Grass Country. The sun was high in the sky as Tsunade followed Sakura through the flower field toward a hut she already knew well.

"They should be here," Sakura murmured, before she opened the door and Tsunade followed her in.

"Tadaima!" Sakura announced as she took off her shoes at the entrance.

Tsunade did the same before a girl's voice was heard from another room in the hut.

"Sakura?"

A second passed before Hinata entered the living room from a bedroom to the left, and she stopped when her gaze fell upon Tsunade. "Hokage-sama." She bowed, letting her long black hair fall over her right shoulder.

"Hinata." Tsunade nodded, watching Hinata straighten from her bow and share a look with Sakura.

"Where's Naruto?" Sakura asked, and Tsunade's eyes widened. So they had found him. Stanzas of the poem flit by her memory and somehow, she didn't feel much better about this fact.

"He's out back with Kiba, by the river," Hinata replied, pointing behind her.

Sakura nodded and then shuffled back into her shoes, Tsunade followed her back out of the hut and Hinata trailed behind them until they reached the brook where the water flowed low this time of year. It wasn't long before she could hear male voices speaking over the sound of the rushing water, but that didn't catch her attention nearly as much as the sound of a baby crying.

"Naruto!" Sakura called out before they reached the sloping river bank where the low river cut through and hid the water from view.

"Sakura-chan?"

Tsunade stopped and looked down toward the water where she spotted a bare-chested Kiba, his pants rolled up to his knees as he waded through the river with a kunai in his hand, Akamaru standing near his feet. She spotted Naruto on the bank, his shirt and coat off and bundled next to him. Tsunade stared at the discarded coat and shirt and realized with a start that two babies were laying upon the articles of clothing, one of them crying its little heart out.

Naruto was distracted by the irritable baby and picked it up, letting it wail in his gently rocking arms, before finally turning up to face Tsunade, Sakura, and Hinata at the top of the slope behind him.

His cerulean eyes noticeably widened. "Baachan?"

"Kami-sama, Naruto, did you knock some poor girl up?" Tsunade blustered, noting how the hauntingly whiskered baby in his arms was calming down and the equally whiskered baby lying on the ground was reaching up for him with its little chubby arms.

Naruto seemed to be rendered speechless as Tsunade glanced accusatorily between Sakura and Hinata, who both hastily shook their heads and waved their hands in front of their faces in the universal sign of we-had-nothing-to-do-with-this.

Kiba started to snicker, but Tsunade glared at him and that shut him up immediately. She certainly didn't think this was anything to laugh at. This was so serious she almost had difficulty comprehending the gravity of it. She couldn't even think about how this had occurred. She didn't even know how Naruto had had enough time to court someone let alone _sleep_ with someone.

"Naruto," she began as she made her way down the slope, her maternal instincts kicking into full gear. "Who is the poor mother of these children?"

"Uh…" he sputtered, staring up at her in a rare show of fear.

"He is," Kiba supplied helpfully, pointing at Naruto and looking as though he was trying very hard not to laugh.

Naruto glared at him, but he didn't say anything in protest.

Tsunade looked between the two, not appreciating Kiba's joke in the slightest. "That's ridiculous. There is no way Naruto could be the mother."

"Actually, Tsunade-shishou," Sakura spoke from beside her, having made her way down the bank with a worried looking Hinata. "Technically…"

Her voice trailed off and it seemed as though everyone expected Tsunade to finish the statement in the safety of her own mind, which she did and she really wished she hadn't because she felt as though that bit of information was going to make her brain explode with its pure, unbridled inanity.

"How?" Tsunade questioned tightly, deciding to give up resistance until the pounding behind her temples went away.

"Kyuubi," Sakura replied a bit warily.

"Ah," Tsunade murmured, and suddenly the pounding behind her temples became a full-blown headache. "Of course."

Naruto smiled at her sheepishly, which was made a bit odd by the way the baby in his arms and the baby on the ground were both staring at her with wide, ethereally golden eyes and whiskers on their fat cheeks. The brunette one was particularly odd looking, because its hat seemed to be glaring at her.

Suddenly Sakura's eyes widened. "Naruto, what happened to their eyes?"

Kiba and Hinata shared a look, and Naruto wore a pained expression.

"Ah…about that, Sakura-chan…"

"Oh no…did something happen while I was gone?"

"Well…"

"Explain," Tsunade stated, interrupting Naruto and Sakura's frenzied conversation and expecting answers. As she had told Sakura before, she hated being left in the dark.

Naruto had the courtesy to look guilty as she stared down at him sternly.

"Tsunade-shishou," Sakura said a bit stutteringly, her eyes trained upon the babies with an unsettled expression crossing her face, before she looked up at Tsunade. "M-maybe we should all go back into the hut for that."

"Fine," Tsunade acquiesced after seeing every one of them send her a furtive look. "But I want you all to explain _everything_."

"We would all love to know everything as well, Hokage-sama, ma'am," Kiba replied, sending a meaningful look Naruto's way. "Trust me."

"Well…barring all the graphic details, of course," Kiba managed to add, earning him a scathing glare from Naruto as they all made their way up the slope of the bank.

* * *

Once everyone was finally settled within the living room of the hut, all of them sitting at the low table with Tsunade at the head, she gave Sakura a questioning look and the girl complied.

"Well, I don't really know all the details," she began, glancing at Naruto. "But I can tell you how we found him and what we've learned since then."

Tsunade nodded for her to continue, but she couldn't keep her gaze from slipping to the two squirming babies Naruto was currently juggling in his arms.

She noticed that the baby with the angry hat was more than a little irritable, and Naruto was having a difficult time getting the baby to suck on the bottle currently shoved into its mouth. It was alarming how strangely heartening it was to see Naruto taking care of babies. For so long now she had thought of him as her own grandson, capable of taking care of himself, but certainly too immature to take care of any other things more complicated than a few potted plants. But now she was beginning to see him in a whole new light, and it was an odd sensation to say the least.

"We," Sakura gestured between her, Hinata, and Kiba. "Were following Naruto's scent through the northeastern forests of Fire Country and we thought we had been gaining on him, but about two weeks ago, we had followed him into Snow Country and had subsequently lost his scent and his trail."

"Yeah, sorry 'bout that," Kiba interrupted, petting a whimpering Akamaru.

"During a blizzard," Sakura continued. "We heard a baby crying, and I decided to check it out. We entered a shack and then…" Sakura stopped talking, suddenly looking pained. In fact, the entire group seemed to become uncomfortable, especially Naruto who was now ignoring his babies, and looking away from all of them guiltily.

"And then…?" Tsunade pressed, snapping Sakura out of her stupor.

The girl nodded, swallowing, before continuing. "We found Naruto…incapacitated with the two babies next to him. I performed the necessary operation and four days later, Naruto woke up."

Tsunade's eyes widened, but her mouth was set in a grim line. "What were his injuries?"

Sakura sent her a pleading look, but Tsunade was adament in her resolve. She needed to know.

"His abdomen was cut open," Sakura stated softly, twisting her hands, and not looking at anyone but her. "I had to stitch him back up and cauterize the wound in order to stop the bleeding." She paused for a moment. "When I stitched the organs within his abdomen, I recognized one of them as a female uterus."

Kiba looked a little under the weather at that statement, and even Naruto looked more than a little surprised.

"I had to cut the umbilical cords, and one of the babies, the girl," Sakura pointed at the calmly sleeping baby with the sunflower cap sitting atop its head. "Wasn't breathing so Hinata had to unblock her throat. The babies were fine after that, and Naruto eventually healed."

"Four days later," Tsunade added, her voice serious. She had never expected this, and she could imagine how fearful Sakura and her teammates had felt after they had discovered Naruto in such a state. It was plain from Sakura's explanation; with a wound like that – Naruto would have died.

"Yes." Sakura nodded briefly.

"Naruto," Tsunade turned her gaze to the boy who was now looking at her shakily. He seemed to expect her to punish him or rail at him, but she wouldn't do that until he told her his side of the story. If he deserved it then there was plenty of time to yell at him later. "Tell me what you know of the situation, and I want nothing left out."

The entire room seemed to hone in on him, awaiting his reply with great interest, which told Tsunade that there were certain things that only he knew, which he had never revealed to the others. Well, it was time to put that to an end.

Naruto sighed, and he suddenly looked much older, the babies now asleep in his sturdy arms and resting upon his crossed legs. "The Fox told me I was pregnant four months ago. I didn't want to believe it…I couldn't believe it and so I ignored it for nearly a month. I trained as usual, but eventually it was too much and I would get tired easily, I could feel that the Fox wasn't up to shape either."

Tsunade thought over his words clinically. So, the Kyuubi's chakra was being used for something else, something that drained the Kyuubi itself, and that something was most likely maintaining the conditions within Naruto's male body for a female pregnancy. But, this couldn't be enough for Naruto to become pregnant, unless the Kyuubi inseminated the eggs that it had to have provided.

The science of it was unclear, and most likely unprecedented, but she was fairly certain that that would result in a failed pregnancy. There had to be another source of insemination. That could have been Naruto's own sperm, but from what she had gathered by studying Naruto and Kyuubi's connection over the years, it was true that Fox Demons were known hermaphrodites, but the Kyuubi didn't really have its own DNA to provide as it was simply a chakra based entity as long as it was within Naruto's body. The 'egg' would have had to be garnered with Naruto's DNA, unless the Kyuubi had somehow found a way to take physical form behind the seal (which she greatly doubted as its host was still alive), so that meant…

"When I couldn't fit into my normal pants anymore, and I woke up every day feeling nauseous, I knew that something was wrong," Naruto continued, interrupting her line of thought. "I read up on pregnancy at the library when no one was around and I realized that the Fox was right. So, I decided to leave Konoha and have my kits where the Council couldn't hurt them."

Tsunade remained silent, waiting for him to continue before she pointed out the obvious flaws in his plan. She disapproved of him leaving without at least telling her of his situation. She would have protected him from the eyes of that blasted Council, but he clearly hadn't trusted her ability to do so. Or he hadn't trusted her to want to do so. She really didn't know which was worse, and she imagined that Sakura might have felt very similar when Naruto had told all of this to her.

"I didn't mean to put them in danger." Naruto looked down at the babies he referred to as 'kits' in his arms, his voice becoming louder with the need to make her understand. He clearly read her disapproving gaze, even if she had failed to say anything. "The Fox'd told me that it would take care of me and the kits until they were born. It said that it could make sure I didn't have to be in a hospital when it happened and that I could cut myself open as it healed me."

"But the Kyuubi was too weak," Tsunade finished, looking at him sternly, the pieces coming together in her mind. "And you had to cut yourself open anyway or your babies would die."

Naruto nodded, his expression more downtrodden than she had ever seen it.

"It's a good thing your friends found you when they did, Naruto."

"I know," Naruto mumbled, obviously still expecting her to yell at him.

Tsunade sighed and rubbed her temples as she thought over the situation. She could barely believe it, but here it was. The Kyuubi had found some way to create offspring, but for what purpose, she did not know. Although, she suspected that it could not be for anything good.

Then there was still the question of how the pregnancy could have been successfully initiated in the first place, and where the necessary genetic makeup could have been obtained, which made her think that Naruto was still hiding something very important from her.

"If you are the mother," Tsunade began, locking his gaze. "Who is the father?"

The room was silent for a while, sunlight drifting in through the front windows and illuminating the free-flying dust like tiny sparkling dots. Everyone, however, became particularly interested in Naruto's reply, but no one more so than Tsunade herself.

"Sasuke," Naruto finally murmured.

No one else in the group seemed to be surprised by this revelation, but Tsunade could not say the same for herself. "Sasuke? _Uchiha_ Sasuke?"

"Yeah," Naruto replied, looking a bit uncomfortable.

"How?"

Naruto shot her an incredulous look, telling her she should know exactly how that sort of thing happened, and he really didn't want to explain it to her. But, a bit irritated, she clarified her question. "I mean, how did you two meet to…to…and why?" She finished lamely.

If there were two people she had ever thought there could be a romantic interest between, Naruto and Sasuke were certainly not it.

As far as she could glean from the short time Sasuke had been in the village after she had arrived to become its Godaime Hokage, and from what Kakashi and Iruka had told her, they had a far from loving relationship – an early and intense rivalry that became uglier when Sasuke had left the village alone and with little warning to his teammates. And Naruto had searched and searched for Sasuke these many years later, but he had never been more successful than meeting the Uchiha only to lose him again.

Granted, she had wondered many a time why Naruto had been the driving force behind those missions to save Sasuke for so many years even after the boy had treated him the way he had and had shown absolutely no interest in returning to Konoha. But every time she would only remind herself that Jiraiya had acted the same way about Orochimaru, because he had thought they were friends and allies, and maybe Naruto felt the same way about Sasuke deep down.

But to say that it was based on something more than friendship was almost inconceivable for her. The idea that stone-cold Sasuke could be intimate with anyone was almost ludicrous to think about, and that didn't even begin to explain the logistical and geographical boundaries between the two boys that would surely make it impossible for them to do anything intimate.

Naruto was staring uncomfortably about the room, but he seemed to be too embarrassed to look at Kiba at all. "It was during a rescue mission, and I don't really know why," he answered uncomfortably. "It just happened."

"Wait," Sakura said, leaning forward across the table toward Naruto. "This was during one of our rescue missions? When? How come I didn't know about this?"

But before Naruto could answer, an unsettling thought occurred to Tsunade. "Did he force himself upon you, Naruto?"

"What?!" Naruto exclaimed loudly, completely breaking his attention with Sakura. "No…no…there is no way I would've let that stuck-up bastard force me to do anything unless I wanted h – " Naruto's mouth shut abruptly and his face flushed as red as a tomato.

Kiba started to laugh, but Sakura, Hinata and Tsunade glared at him, even though Tsunade couldn't quite keep herself from smiling at that little slip-up. Kiba stopped laughing, but it looked strained.

"I-I mean…" Naruto began, desperately fumbling for words. "I definitely didn't _want_ him to…but it was all dark…and it wasn't _that _bad…but I was going to punch him…and…"

"That's enough, brat. Don't hurt yourself," Tsunade interrupted, before he could dig himself into another hole, barely keeping her amusement at bay.

He shut up immediately, a frown tugging at his mouth and his face still a healthy shade of pink beneath his whisker marks.

"I'm sorry, Naruto," Tsunade stated, hoping that he noticed her sincerity in those words. "But I'm going to have to ask you to tell me everything about that…night, in detail."

Kiba coughed uncomfortably. "Uh…"

Tsunade rolled her eyes. "It would be best if everyone else in the room leaves and allows us some privacy," she stated curtly, noticing the way both Kiba and Naruto relaxed somewhat. However, although Sakura tried to mask it, it was clear that she was a little disappointed.

Tsunade and Naruto watched as everyone left the hut, Hinata stopping to squeeze Naruto's shoulder in a gesture of goodwill, before she too left, the front door closing behind her.

Then it was just the two of them.

Tsunade waited for him to start, but he fidgeted instead.

"Uh…why do you need to know this?" Naruto asked lamely, his expression tense.

"I have a theory, but I can't test it out until I understand how the babies were conceived," She answered sparingly.

Really, she needed to know how much influence the Kyuubi had on the entire process, but she wasn't going to let him know this until he stated the event to her in his own words. She was determined to treat this professionally, because otherwise, she wouldn't be able to handle listening to an account of her subordinate having explicit relations with a former subordinate, who both happened to be male. She would remain, detached.

Of course, this was easier said than done.

"Oh," Naruto replied to her non-answer, placing his babies upon the vacated cushions beside him, before looking at her again, expression as anxious as ever.

"Please start at the beginning," she prompted.

Naruto took a deep breath. "Do I really have to do this, Baa-chan?"

"Yes."

Naruto frowned, his expression turning morose. "Fine."

"It was on our most recent rescue mission about four and a half months ago," He began, his voice shakier than usual. "You probably remember that Sakura, Sai, and Kakashi were on that mission too."

Tsunade nodded, remembering the look on Naruto's face before that mission when she had told him to bring Sasuke back this time or he would have to give up. He had been defiant against her orders, but she had recognized an already budding urgency within him to finish it all as well.

"We stopped within the border of Rice Field Country, near where Sasuke had last been sighted, and made camp. That night, I ran into Sasuke in the forest."

"How did you run into him?" Tsunade prodded, when Naruto stopped his monologue.

Naruto's face colored once again. "I woke up in the middle of the night to go pee, and then I felt his chakra signature. So I ran toward it."

"Go on."

"He was standing in a clearing, looking out across a lake, like he was looking for something." Naruto's eyes blanked out as he remembered the encounter. "I called out to him and then he turned around. He didn't seem surprised to see me, he didn't seem like anything…just blank.

"We argued; I told him to come back, but he only said he wouldn't, and I got mad. So I attacked him and we fought, but I could tell he was holding back, because he didn't really want to fight. Maybe he thought it was just a waste of time, I don't know." Naruto's expression was pained at that admission. "Eventually, I became desperate and I could feel the Fox come out, and then I had him pinned to the ground. We wrestled like that for a while and I punched him a lot like he punched me, but then…"

"But then?" Tsunade asked, a bit sad that her theory was slowly proven by Naruto's story.

Naruto rubbed the back of his head in a nervous habit, not looking at her. "Then he stopped struggling and I kissed him. I don't really know why I did it," He added hurriedly. "But at that time I just really wanted to." His voice became quiet. "Actually, there were a lot of things I wanted to do."

"Was the Kyuubi's chakra still outside of the seal?" Tsunade asked, hoping that he would say no, but knowing that that was unlikely.

Naruto looked thoughtful, trying to remember. "Yeah, my chakra was still red."

Tsunade tried not to sigh. "So, then what happened?"

"He punched me, hard," Naruto grinned, but it was strained. "I think he was really angry, because he pushed me against a tree, before I could get back up and punched me a couple more times, but that wasn't before I kicked him a few times for good measure."

Tsunade wondered whether this entire exchange was healthy, and concluded that it definitely wasn't, but she didn't interrupt as Naruto continued to recount it.

"And then, he just stopped and I didn't know what he was thinking or what he was going to do and I just prepared to block or kick him again if I needed to, but then…" Naruto trailed off, looking thoroughly embarrassed again.

"Then?" Tsunade was getting tired of prodding him out of his embarrassment, although it was understandable.

"He kissed me and…" Naruto paused. "You know."

"No, I don't," Tsunade replied a little exasperatedly. _Although, I could guess…_

"Do I really have to tell you this?" Naruto whined. "I mean, what kind of perverted theory is this going to prove, anyway, 'Baa-chan?"

She only frowned at him, ignoring that perverted theory remark. She wasn't Jiraiya for Kami-sama's sake! He frowned back at her stubbornly, but he finally gave up against her great frowning prowess. He couldn't win against her, she was simply more experienced.

"Fine," He pouted, something he hadn't done in front of her since he was a twelve-year-old, and he continued quickly, his face incredibly red. "He kissed me and then he pulled down my pants and pulled down his own pants and then he screwed me and I liked it! Happy now?!"

By the time he was done with his little outburst, Naruto was panting harshly and glaring at Tsunade for all he was worth. Tsunade tried very, very hard not to laugh. It was truly a feat that she managed to keep her face straight, because if she hadn't she knew that he would surely never open up to her again.

"Naruto," she stated remarkably calmly. "Do you remember feeling strange during any of the encounter? Not in control? Or unable to remember parts of the event afterwards, perhaps?"

Naruto expression suddenly looked serious and fearful, which told her more plainly than words that her theory was hitting the mark.

He shifted upon his cushion, his blush receding so that he looked strangely pale. "I can't remember a lot of the details," he admitted, his voice deeper and calmer than before. "And I can't remember afterwards at all. I woke up in the morning, in my sleeping bag at the campsite and I couldn't remember getting there or Sasuke leaving."

He looked at her squarely, his former embarrassment seemingly forgotten. "It's the Fox, isn't it? It's all about the Fox."

"I'm afraid all arrows are pointing in that direction," Tsunade acknowledged regretfully.

"While Sakura was gone, I had a dream or…no…the Fox had brought me into my soul again, to see him behind his prison," Naruto murmered. "It said that I didn't know anything about the control I had over it, and it made it sound like I had given it control when Sasuke and I had…" He paused uncomfortably. "And then its chakra burned me and it said that the kits would belong to it, and when I woke up, my kits not only had their ears, but also yellow eyes."

"Their ears?" Tsunade questioned, confused.

"Yeah, I forgot, you haven't seen them yet," Naruto nodded, leaning down and pulling the little caps off of his babies' heads and holding them up.

Tsunade stared at the swiveling, furry ears atop their generously hairy heads. Then, sure enough, the boy awoke and revealed the same golden eyes Tsunade had seen earlier. She couldn't stop herself from thinking that they looked simply adorable, despite the sinister cause beneath.

"Have the ears always been like that?"

"Yeah, ever since they were born," Naruto replied. "But their eyes used to be different. Mikomi's," he pointed at the blond haired baby girl after he set her and her brother down. "Used to be blue, and Sasuke's," he said, indicating the brunette baby boy. "Used to be black."

"Like his father's," Tsunade stated, noting that Naruto had taken care to name his son after the Uchiha.

Naruto nodded, no longer blushing at the acknowledgement.

"Then I think we may have a problem," Tsunade concluded darkly. "And it all begins with the Kyuubi."

"I'm not gonna let the Fox do what it wants," Naruto interjected forcefully. "I won't let it take my kits from me."

"That may be so, but that's harder said than done," Tsunade warned. "If the Kyuubi has managed to affect your life this drastically, it may have found a way through the Yondaime's original seal, and if that's the case, you have much less protection against the Kyuubi if it should want to come out and control you, instead of the other way around." She folded her hands in front of her face as she leaned forward over the tabletop thoughtfully. "I also suspect that Kyuubi has found a pathway to the outside world through your offspring. You say that they were affected by the Kyuubi when you were with it in your soul. For that to happen, Kyuubi would have had to have a strong chakra-based connection with the kits already, and I don't doubt that given the affect that it has already had on their physical appearance. Has Hinata had a look at their chakra?"

Naruto looked uncertain, "I'm not sure. She was there when I woke up after the thing with the Fox, but all she said was that my kits were stronger and healthier than before."

Tsunade stood up and walked away from the table, opening the front door. She looked all around but she couldn't see anyone, until she finally looked at the side of the house and noticed Hinata and Sakura crouching beneath one of the windows. Tsunade raised an eyebrow. "Done eavesdropping, girls?"

The girls looked at each other before each of them nodded, Hinata looking slightly more abashed than Sakura.

"Good," Tsunade replied. "Because I need Hinata to examine the babies' chakra for me."

Hinata followed her inside, Sakura in tow, smiling apologetically at a scowling Naruto, who had clearly heard everything that had been said. Hinata sat beside Naruto and his babies and activated her Byakugan.

"What would you like me to look for, Tsunade-sama?" the pale-eyed girl asked, already scanning the babies' squirming forms.

"Search for any chakra that matches the Kyuubi's," she dictated.

Hinata paused, before nodding, and her eyes roved over the babies. Then her pupils stopped as she stared at little Sasuke's belly. "I see some residual chakra that matches that of the Kyuubi's in both of their stomachs, but it's only a trace amount," Hinata confirmed.

"As I'd suspected," Tsunade sighed.

"What does that mean?" Sakura asked, although Tsunade had a good feeling the girl had already guessed.

"It means that the Kyuubi has found new portals to the world outside of his cage," she replied forbodingly. "And we cannot be sure when the windows will open wider."

"There has to be a way we can control it," Sakura supplied. "A stronger seal, perhaps, or new seals for the babies."

"The seals don't operate quite that way when the power has been interjected so naturally without a jutsu to create the original container or prison for that power. The only way a seal would work was if the babies themselves could consciously hold back the power with the help of the seal, but they are too young to be able to do so yet," Tsunade replied, her honey-blonde hair shining in the setting sunlight entering through the windows. "We need someone who has a natural ability to hold back the Kyuubi's chakra, and to act as a shield for that power until the babies grow old enough to learn control."

"What about Yamato?" Sakura asked. "He was able to control the Kyuubi's power when Naruto lost control during our early mission to retrieve Sasuke."

Tsunade thought about this, but realized that his type of abilities came up short. "He may not be enough for this type of control. He can only stop the chakra's effect after it has started, and he can contain it, but if we want to make sure that the babies don't change more into little fox demons then we have to stop the chakra from ever affecting them in the first place."

"Sasuke can do that."

Everyone's attention swiveled toward Naruto as he regarded all of them calmly.

"What do you mean?" Tsunade asked, already against the idea of bringing that boy into their already complicated situation.

"Sasuke can control the Fox's chakra," Naruto pressed. "He entered my soul and confronted the Fox the first time we found him at Orochimaru's lair, and even the Fox said that Sasuke possessed eyes with a more intimidating chakra than any other chakra known to demons. Then Sasuke pushed the Fox back behind its cage with just a look."

Suddenly, the front door opened and Kiba came in all wet, dripping on the floor boards as he carried a bucket full of fish into the living room. Akamaru loped in after him and then proceeded to shake the water off of his fur, splashing it all over the furniture. Kiba was grinning like a conquering hero, practically slamming the bucket of fish onto the table. "We've got dinner!"

Everyone just looked at him, and Tsunade rubbed her aching temples yet again.

"What? Did somebody die?"

Nobody answered Kiba as the thought that Sasuke was the only person who could help Naruto rolled over the room like a dark cloud.

Although, secretly, Naruto may have been more excited about this prospect than the others.

* * *

Somewhere in Rice Field Country, Sasuke sneezed.

"Gettin' a cold, Sasuke?" Suigetsu quipped.

Sasuke didn't reply, wiping his nose on the back of his sleeve, but continuing ahead as though nothing had happened.

"Someone's probably talkin' about ya then," Suigetsu concluded sagely, before Karin punched him in the face.

"Stop bothering, Sasuke, you damn loser," she scolded as he reconfigured his face from its suddenly liquified state, before she too walked on ahead.

"It's that time of the month again, I can tell," Suigetsu muttered, just low enough so she couldn't hear. He meant to share a look with Juugo, but he noticed that the brute was too preoccupied talking to a bird sitting on one of his fingers.

Not for the first time, Suigetsu wished he had someone to talk to who wasn't the equivalent of a brick wall, a crazy bitch, or a bird-whisperer. Sadly, he knew he would have no such luck any time soon.

A pity.

* * *

AN: bwahahahahaha. Reviews? Flames? Comments? Suggestions? Gimme, gimme.


	6. Surprises

AN: Thank you so much for the reviews and the fanart for the past chapters! I put links for the wonderful fanart by two talented readers of this fic, Kneazlegurl and DreamDragon08, in my ffnet profile page. So go have a look! Once again, thanks to everyone, and thanks for reading!

* * *

Chapter 5: Surprises

Teeth clashed with his.

Biting, nibbling, chewing on his lower lip, tongue, jawline, earlobe, throat, clavicle, shoulder.

Hands pushed, shoved, caressed, kneaded his flesh, trailing fire along his skin – or did his skin trail fire along those fingers that danced, dug, slid along his back, shoulders, neck, and hairline? He didn't know. His mind was a heady rush – it was red and hot and almost hard to breathe in the thickness of it and the lips that crushed his and the hot breath that panted across his skin.

Beads of sweat trailed down his nose, jaw, throat and chest, rough bark dug into his back, fire burned his insides.

He was drowning in sensation, pulsation, need, want, hunger, lust, aggression, and fear.

It was the heat, the blaring heat that filled him, surrounded him; made it so hard for him to think, to act, to hide, to understand. All he knew was what he felt, and what he felt was reckless passion; blinding and all-consuming.

The air between them was full of groaning, moaning, mewling, gasping, rasping, cursing, pleading, and half-realized exclamations.

He was consumed by midnight eyes and moonlight skin – pushing, rolling, sliding against him. Sliding into him.

Pain, then pleasure. Painful pleasure and white hot euphoria.

Want, need, bliss, happiness, belonging.

Heat swirling in his core and the fear in midnight eyes, shrouded in a porcelain face.

"Sasuke?"

Desperation.

"_Sasuke?!_"

Blackness.

"Ah!" Naruto snapped awake and sat up, placing an unsteady hand to his chest where his heart fluttered behind his ribcage. He breathed unsteadily, partly gasping as he surveyed his surroundings.

The room was dark with a sliver of silver moon light gracing the floor through the window and revealing the two kits sleeping beside him in their own separate bundles of cloth.

Pale skin flashed before his eyes and he rubbed at them with his sweaty palms. He took a deep breath in order to calm himself down.

The dream had been intense; real like a memory. He could still feel his body shake as his sweat cooled in the night air blowing in through the open window. Unsteadily, he pulled his covers down and saw the evidence of his dream soaked into his boxer shorts. He sighed blearily.

Sasuke often haunted his thoughts. Even before they had done anything, Naruto had thought about doing things with Sasuke that had made him feel ashamed. When Sasuke had been gone for years and Naruto had been alone in his apartment, or a campground at night, Naruto had thought, fantasized about meeting Sasuke again; sparring with him, talking to him, hugging him, touching him, kissing him…

It hadn't been any secret, at least, not to Naruto. He'd known what those thoughts had meant, and he'd known why he'd been so obsessed with getting his friend back when the fantasies had taken hold. It was everyone else, including said friend, who may have been surprised.

He had hidden the desires, because they were uncomfortable and ill-timed. He had known after those many years of training to get Sasuke back that the first goal had to always be to get him home, and then, maybe, everything else could be dealt with – but not before everyone else was taken care of.

After all, he'd promised Sakura he'd bring Sasuke back, and he'd known at the time what that had implied for her. He would bring her love back to her and she could work from there. He'd had no intention of getting in the way of that, ever. Partly because he knew that then he would have to go back on his word, and Uzumaki Naruto never went back on his word, and partly because he knew that there wasn't a slim chance in hell that Sasuke could ever want him back…in that way. It was only practical. A survival mechanism.

His male rival would never, could never feel the same way.

Besides, he barely knew how he stood in Sasuke's eyes based on the lowly terms of friendship – becoming something more was almost too much to hope for.

But that fateful night, Naruto had lost control, and over and over again he'd wondered if it was him or the Fox who had tipped the balance. He'd wondered how much of it had been him and how much of it had been the Fox and how much of it had been Sasuke wanting to do what they did.

He still didn't know, but he remembered how it felt; and the confusion of it hurt, just as much as the residual pleasure still tingled through his veins.

He still wondered if Sasuke would accept his kits. Naruto looked down at their small, sleeping faces. Little Sasuke looked so much like his father, especially when his eyelids were closed over the golden pupils. Still, Naruto wondered how Sasuke would react.

He didn't know.

Sasuke had left before they could talk about what had transpired. A flash of Sasuke's black eyes widening in fear – possibly disgust – filled Naruto's mind and he closed his eyes against it.

The situation was almost worse than before, more jumbled and confused. So, meeting Sasuke again would be difficult. Sasuke was never easy to deal with and never easy to read. He would most likely try to reject or deny what had happened or act like he didn't care. Naruto knew this to his core.

But, as he had reasoned before, Sasuke was probably the only person out there who could protect his kits from the Fox's stupid plans. And Naruto was never going to let the Fox get what it wanted. So, not seeing Sasuke was out of the question.

But passed the sound reasoning he gave to Tsunade; Naruto still wanted to see him for the sake of seeing him. Even if it hurt. Naruto wanted to show Sasuke his kits and have the opportunity to beat him into the ground if he denied that they were his. At least then he would feel like he was doing something productive and important.

Even if it hurt.

Naruto let out a long exhale, and decided to get up and clean himself up in the bathroom. It wouldn't do for everyone else in the house to see his predicament in the morning. It was already embarrassing enough that Sakura had listened in to what little he had recounted to Tsunade-baachan.

The next day, they were going to leave the hut and it would only be a matter of time before he found out exactly what Sasuke's reaction would be.

Until then, he hoped the dreams would leave him. Until then, he hoped he could control the Fox.

He flipped on the light and looked at his reflection in the bathroom mirror, his expression determined.

_I'm coming, bastard. Whether you like it or not._

* * *

_Sluuuuuurrrrp_

Suigetsu sipped at his drink, making that annoying bubbling sound he knew Karin hated. She was already glaring back at him from her place at Sasuke's side. He smiled at her, showing his pointed teeth as he chewed the end of his straw.

She looked away, back toward the object of her affections, that vapid expression once again dulling her features into a fake and cheerful smile. Suigetsu doubted it fooled anyone, least of all Sasuke – but he never did anything about it. He was a cool one, that leader of theirs.

_Sluuuuuuuuurrrrrrrrrrrp_

He was almost out. Suigetsu pouted around his straw. Karin's glare intensified, but she couldn't do anything about it. Not around her beloved Sasuke. Suigetsu's pout turned into a smirk. That's why he loved irritating her when they were all together. Like one big happy family.

_Sluuuuuuuuuuuuuuurrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrp_

Although, it stunk that he was almost out of water.

He could see Karin's hands shaking into fists of rage, a grimace pulling her otherwise young looking face taut and strained like an old woman trying to pass a bowel movement the size of a watermelon. That seems like it would hurt, Suigetsu mused, already losing his attention on the angry woman in front of him. His mind offered up an image of an old croney with Karin's face trying to defecate a melon sized poop. Was that even _possible_? He hoped not.

"I'm going."

Suigetsu barely registered that Sasuke was talking before the tall boy began walking away from them.

"Stay here until I get back." Sasuke looked back at Karin for a longer moment than was warranted, clearly indicating to her to not follow him or else, before he disappeared into the brush.

Suigetsu sighed and plopped down on a rock not far from where he'd been standing. Juugo sat across from him on a fallen log. Karin finally huffed when she couldn't sense Sasuke as strongly anymore and sat down on the ground. Together they made a triangle of unlikely comrades.

"Where do you think he goes all the time?" Karin questioned, looking put-out and fingering a bright-red tendril of hair.

"Probably out to a quiet place where he can jack off," Suigetsu drawled, already feeling bored with this conversation as he unscrewed the top of his bottle and examined the empty innards.

Karin's eyebrow, and entire right eye really, twitched violently. "You're such a letch!"

"Whatever," Suigetsu replied, wondering if he should use this free time wisely and pay Suigetsu junior a visit himself. He looked over at an increasingly uncomfortable looking Juugo and wondered idly if the giant psychopath ever played with his 'kunai', but ceased that train of thought when the unwelcomed images flooded his brain. "A man's gotta release his tension somehow."

"Well, maybe _you _do," Karin snapped. "But _Sasuke_…"

Suigetsu really couldn't make himself listen to her if he tried as she babbled on and on about how stoic, chivalrous, and manly Sasuke was (not at all like those common men like Suigetsu who couldn't think about anything else but the baser more bestial instincts such as fighting and screwing), and how Sasuke was surely the type to save himself (even from _himself_) for the perfect girl who would become his perfect wife who would of course be Karin once they finally had the time to fall madly in love with each other…blah, blah, blah…

He'd heard this all before, and he doubted it was any different now. He saw her mouth still moving in the din of his mind and wondered if her face muscles ever got tired, or if there was anything in the universe that could make her shut up.

"…and I don't care what you say, I'm sure those scratches I saw on his back while he was bathing happened during a battle and not while screwing some whore he found in a village somewhere…"

Suigetsu vaguely remembered the scratches she was talking about, because he'd seen them too, by accident, when Sasuke had been pulling his shirt back on after camping for the night a few months ago. There had been five, perfectly spaced welts on either side of his back – and by perfectly spaced, he meant that they'd looked exactly like someone had dug their nails into Sasuke's pale skin in a fit of passion. Karin had seen these too while honoring her daily tradition of spying on Sasuke bathing, and she'd positively freaked out. Suigetsu had enjoyed it at first, but after months of Karin going insane about the same issue, the entire situation rapidly seemed less amusing and more tiresome.

"How do you know it was a whore?" Suigetsu interrupted, deciding to continue irritating her no matter how many times they'd debated this before. "He could have some secret lover."

"Any woman who would touch him like that without his consent is a whore," Karin snapped childishly, her lips tugged down in a frown and her eyebrows knitted in deep disdain for the very idea that Suigetsu was implying.

"Except for you?" Suigetsu remarked sarcastically under his breath.

"What'd you say?!" She barked.

"Nothing. How do you know it wasn't a guy?" Suigetsu pressed, eyeing his nails and wondering if he should have them sharpened again.

"Guys don't have long enough nails for that," she replied, her voice full of disgust. "At least, not normal ones." Her red eyes flashed dangerously as she dropped her gaze to the inhumanly long claws that Suigetsu called fingernails. "And Sasuke-kun isn't a gay!"

"Uh huh." Suigetsu rolled his eyes and tried to share a look with Juugo, but the other was currently staring purposefully at his toes with pure discomfort etched across his flushed features.

Suigetsu didn't really have an opinion on the subject. For all he cared, Sasuke could be boinking monkeys. As long as they eventually caught up with Kisame so that he could take the man's sword and claim it as his own, he'd be happy. Karin would just have to deal with the most certain reality that Sasuke was either frequenting the red-light districts of seedy villages they so often passed or harboring a secret lover (of either sex), because they all knew, even if Karin did her very best to deny it, that no one could get marks like that _in battle_.

_Sluuuuuuuuuurrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrp_

"He's not back yet," Karin finally muttered agitatedly after a few moments of blissful, blissful silence.

"It's only been five minutes," Suigetsu muttered.

"So?"

"It takes ten minutes for him to find the perfect spot and jack off," he replied matter-of-factly.

A gasp and a hearty exclamation of, "PERVERT!" was the only warning he got before his head was liquidated by her fist.

_Bitch_.

Five minutes later, Sasuke returned. All in all, he had been away for exactly ten minutes.

* * *

"Actually, I've been wondering about something." Sakura took a bite of some onigiiri, before she continued. "If the Kyuubi needed two sets of DNA to make babies, and it couldn't use its own while trapped inside of Naruto, how does it change the structure of Naruto's body?" Sakura paused. "I mean, even during battle, the Kyuubi's chakra makes him change physically, which should only happen if the Kyuubi is changing something fundamental in Naruto's DNA, shouldn't it?"

They were all seated at the living room table, eating breakfast as the first light of dawn seeped in through the window and just managed to reach the table surface, and, incidently, blind poor Akamaru who was at the end of it, trying to eat fish entrails in a bowl.

Everyone else was watching Tsunade for an answer, even Naruto who was currently trying to wrestle a belligerent little Sasuke into drinking his formula.

Tsunade took a long sip of her green tea, thoughtful. She had already thought through this line of questioning before, but she had felt it was unnecessary to divulge because it didn't have any real impact on the problem at hand. It had actually been expected of Kyuubi to have this kind of an effect on its container. She suspected that even the Yondaime had known that the Kyuubi would merge with its container as the container got older, and in that way, their DNA would combine and effectively protect the container.

Now, she supposed, since Sakura had finally asked, she might as well answer. Although Naruto wasn't going to like the implications. Her eyes swivelled to Kiba, who was waiting for her reply with sticky rice stuck to his chin – and that boy would probably rub it in if he caught on. Tsunade sighed, she needed a drink, and _not _of the green tea variety.

"Naruto and the Kyuubi's DNA have been merging since he was a baby. It's easy for Naruto to change because his DNA is similar to the Kyuubi's. So, he can take on certain physical attributes," she replied diplomatically, hoping Sakura would leave it at that, because Kiba and Naruto still looked satisfactorally oblivious to what that meant.

"Ah," Sakura nodded in understanding. She was always so dangerously quick witted. "So, Whatever traits the Kyuubi has, Naruto has the potential to adopt those traits as well? But the Kyuubi can't pass his own DNA along, because it can only manifest itself in Naruto's physical form as Naruto's own, albeit corrupted, DNA?"

Tsunade nodded.

"But," Sakura continued, unfortunately oblivious to Tsunade's cunning plan to keep Naruto and Kiba out of the loop. "The Kyuubi is a hermaphrodite. So that would mean, well surely it should be obvious by now, but, Naruto has actually become a chromosomal hermaphrodite as well."

Kiba, who had just plopped a piece of home-made trout sashimi into his mouth, began to choke and Hinata had to slap him on the back.

Naruto, being Naruto, still looked confused, but suspicious as he eyed the results of Kiba's reaction to the news. His tone was decidedly agitated. "What does that mean?!"

Kiba recovered and quipped, his voice a little raspy, "It means you're half-woman!"

"Well, technically," Sakura added a little loudly, when Naruto's look of confusion transformed into an outright glare at his canine-loving friend. "It means you have the chromosomes of a woman and a man…" Sakura's voice trailed off and she looked a little sheepish when she finally noticed Tsunade sending her a cool look.

"What?" Naruto looked pale.

"Well, it certainly proves what I've been saying all along." The dog-lover just didn't know when to shut up. Tsunade's eyebrow twitched and she took another long drag of her tea. "You're definitely the effeminate one in the relationship!"

When it looked like Naruto was going to get up and literally jump over the table to attack Kiba, Tsunade intervened.

"It doesn't mean anything of the sort!" Naruto stopped to look at her, his right foot hovering comically over the table. She stared at him calmly until he sat back down on his cushion. "It only means that you can do what the Kyuubi could do if it had a physical body, and that includes it's reproductive abilities. It certainly doesn't mean you are a woman – which, I might add, shouldn't be a negative prospect. Case and point." She pointed at herself. "I'm a woman and I'm the Hokage of Konoha, recognized as the strongest ninja in the village."

Naruto visibly relaxed. Although Kiba still looked inordinantly smug, which Naruto missed luckily because Sasuke had begun to cry bloody murder – which, ironically, was only soothed when Naruto shoved the formula bottle's rubber tip back into his little mouth. Naruto became fully absorbed in this task and seemed oblivious to the fact that all the women in the room were watching him with the same simultaneous thought that – even though he was very clearly a teenaged male with broad shoulders and relatively developed muscles – he made a surprisingly good mother . It was probably best that he couldn't read minds.

"Are you going to be coming with us to retrieve Sasuke, Tsunade-shishou?" Sakura finally enquired, breaking Tsunade's rapt attention toward Naruto who was currently completely absorbed in the two babies he was holding and making funny faces at. Mikomi let out a delighted squeal, her pudgy little arms reaching out for his whiskered cheeks, but little Sasuke remained silent, probably pouting or glaring like his hat.

"You're still going to do this?" Tsunade asked, finally pulling the last dregs of her attention away from the family moment, and hoping futilely that they all would have forgotten about their conversation the night before and the unsettling conclusions it had wrought.

Sakura took a delicate sip of her tea. "I think Naruto's right. It's the best way. The only way."

Tsunade sighed. "I don't think I have to tell you how dangerous this is going to be. Sasuke is still a missing nin and thus, unpredictable and possibly hazardous to Naruto and the babies. I'd rather you all tried the alternatives first."

"What alternatives?" Naruto asked, picking up on their quiet conversation.

"Well, you could separate yourself physically from your babies," Tsunade began, noticing the expected horror crossing Naruto's features at her words, but plowing on nonetheless. "The Kyuubi has found a way to siphon its chakra out of you, its container, and into your babies, and it seems most likely that close proximity helps the transaction take place. So, if you separate yourself from them physically then most likely…"

"I'm not going to do that!" Naruto interrupted heatedly. "I can't just…just…leave them alone. I'm their…their….parent. They need me!"

"You won't be leaving them alone. They'll be taken care of by your other teammates. It may be true you feel you are the only one who can take care of them," Tsunade added in rebuttal. "But you're also hurting them."

Naruto looked as though he'd been slapped in the face. The room went deathly silent, even the babies failed to stir within Naruto's arms. "You don't think I can control it?" Naruto finally muttered bitterly, pain and hurt plainly written into his features.

"It's not a question of your ability to control the situation your in," she replied. "It's a question of your ability to use practical judgement in a compromising situation, and you are clearly unable to do so because you are blinded by your misguided hope for real filial attachments."

"_Hokage-sama_!"

"_Shishou_!"

Tsunade ignored Hinata and Sakura's exclamations. She knew what she was saying was harsh, but she was only doing what she thought was best for Naruto and his babies. If anything happened to him, she didn't know what she'd do – and it hurt her more than anything to have to wake him up to this cold reality.

"Naruto, even if you go after Sasuke on some wild goose chase, you are going to have to take precautions until the goal is met." Tsunade's voice was softer as she spoke, her hand unconsciously sliding across the table surface toward Naruto as if to placate him. "Until you find someone who can block the Kyuubi's affects on your babies, you will have to stay away from them in order to keep the Kyuubi from trying anything during the interim."

"There has to be another way," Naruto spoke with conviction. "I'm not going to let anyone else take care of them but me. They're _my _kits, damnit!"

"Naruto…" Sakura supplied weakly.

But Naruto was shaking his head. "No, Sakura. Just, no!"

"Brat, you know I'm right."

"I'm not going to let the Kyuubi ruin my chance at having a family!" Naruto's voice was suddenly hoarse, and his eyes looked suspiciously shiny as he glared back at her, pulling his babies closer to his chest and shielding them from view.

The room was silent again, but for the sound of rustling leaves in the trees outside the dining room window.

"Fine," Tsunade breathed, halfway through a sigh of regret. She could see the desperation in his face, and she knew she had already lost a battle she didn't want to continue fighting. "Then you'll need Yamato on your team."

Naruto opened his mouth, clearly about to protest, but Sakura interrupted him. "She's right, Naruto, it's the only way we can even have a hope of keeping your babies safe from Kyuubi's chakra until we find Sasuke. We don't really have a choice."

"All information on this mission will remain classified and Yamato will be constrained by the law to not speak of the details to anyone, even me," Tsunade assured, watching Naruto closely. "You have my word as Hokage."

Naruto looked between Sakura and Tsunade and then nodded slowly. "Okay."

"Good." Tsunade nodded curtly. "I won't be able to come with you on this mission. So you all and Yamato will be on your own. I wish I could provide more backup but I share Naruto's concerns about the Council and thus, agree that spreading word of this among more shinobi of Konoha is not in our best interest. We'll have to work with what we have."

She glanced at her protégé. "Sakura, I am making you team leader. You have a tactical mind and good common sense, and it seems that you have already been directing your comrades well, long before I came along. Hinata will be your eyes and Kiba will be your tracking device, since this is at foremost a search mission." (Hinata and Kiba nodded) "When Yamato joins, he will act as damage control."

"What about me?" Naruto interrupted in such a tone, as if to say, _I'm not completely useless!_

"You're first task is to protect and take care of the babies and scout ahead with your clones for possible information gathering," Tsunade replied succinctly. "You, of course, are the most important component of the mission. Without you, there would probably be little hope of retrieving Sasuke."

Naruto seemed to take consolation in that because he smiled and straightened up a bit.

"I wish I could offer more help, possibly more shinobi or information on Uchiha Sasuke's whereabouts, but as of late, he and his team have been illusive and Jiraiya's talents are being used to follow Akatsuki and chronicle their dealings in the five shinobi nations." Tsunade steepled her hands in front her face, business-like as she regarded them all.

"It may help to know what Jiraiya knows, though," Sakura stated. "Because Sasuke will most likely be near Itachi's location."

Tsunade nodded. "I will get in contact with Jiraiya and relay the information to you in a coded message, after I get back to Konoha."

"Hai, Shishou," Sakura replied, and shared a momentary look with Naruto, who looked grateful.

"Then I suppose, that will be all," Tsunade murmured. "You are now Team Sakura and you have your mission. Wait until Yamato arrives in three days before moving out. It is very important that we give the babies as much protection as possible. I wish I could send you more help, but…"

She was interrupted by the front door opening and a familiar meandering voice. "I'll go too."

Everyone in the room tensed as the silhouette of a tall man stepped through the threshold, his features cast in a deep shadow by the sunlight streaming in behind him, yet his voice was unmistakable.

"K-Kakashi-sensei?!" Naruto and Sakura chimed together, looking utterly bewildered.

Kiba and Hinata tensed considerably, each glancing between Sakura, Naruto and Kakashi agitatedly.

Tsunade's eyes widened as the man closed the door behind him and tipped his head in greeting.

"Yo." His right eye stretched into a happy crescent. "I'm sorry I'm so late, but it seems I got lost on another road of life."

Tsunade took another sip of her tea with a deep frown at his bullshit explanation. She should have known he would still be able to follow her, probably with one of those damn dogs of his.

"Fine." Tsunade rolled her eyes as Kakashi _supposedly_ grinned at her.

She was getting sick of surprises.

* * *

AN: I can't believe I was able to pop one of these out. I've been getting busier and busier with school and whatnot, but I do have loads of time to mull things over on the train. So, blame my horrendously long commute on this update.

You can all try to guess if Sasuke was really doing what Suigetsu thought he was doing, or if I'm just messing with your minds and making you think nasty thoughts. Either way, I know what _I _think, and it's nothing innocent. Teehee.

Thanks so much for reading, y'all. And, as ever, I'm completely open to critiques, reviews, and the like.


	7. The Ties That Bind

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or his friends, or even his enemies.

AN: Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed the last chapter, and I'm sorry for the long wait. I had to finish midterm projects for my art school. So this has been the first weekend I've been free to write in a long time.

Hope you all enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 6: The Ties That Bind

"Tell me where Uchiha Itachi and his partner are and I won't have to place your neck under a decidedly flatter part of my blade," Suigetsu murmured, smirking when the bartender he held against the wall with one of the handy half-crescent indentations in his sword began to shake badly.

The bar he was currently loitering in was a seedy one in a village called Post Town. It had barely survived Orochimaru's fall and the subsequent governmental collapse that had rippled across Rice Field Country. The entire village smelled like piss, just like the bar. Every building was boarded up and the only thing open this late at night was this piss-poor pub and a few shady inns. Suigetsu had sat at the bar for what felt like the entire night but had really only been a few hours, slapping back rice wine until the last of the abused looking clientel finally stumbled out; leaving him alone with the bartender.

"I-I don't know whatchyer talkin' about, man!" His victim stuttered agitatedly. "I ain't seen nothing!"

Suigetsu smirked and pressed his sword more securely into the soft wood of the wall, leaving mere centimeters between the blade and the man's neck. The bartender began to shake more forcefully in fear, which probably didn't help, given the new lack of space Suigetsu had just provided between his weapon and the man's jugular.

"Oh, I'm sorry, it seems that my sword may have slipped," Suigetsu smiled, showing off his serrated teeth. "I tend to do that when my victims lie."

Suigetsu, of course, knew the bartender was lying through his teeth, because Karin, however useless she may have seemed, had felt Itachi's presence in the bar earlier that day as Hebi had been making their way into the rotting gates of this sad excuse for a village.

"I-I can't…I don't know whatchyer…." The bartender babbled, his eyes going wide and his sweaty forehead splotching. "I…"

Suigetsu's sword _slipped _a little further so that the blade now rested right upon the man's sweaty skin. "Itachi's not much of a drinker. Are you providing him with supplies? Weapons? Information?"

"I…_Kami_…I can't tell you!" The bartender blurted, becoming slightly hysterical. "He'll kill me! He'll KILL me!"

"So will I." Suigetsu was getting bored with this and he was already irritatingly thirsty from all that sake he had to drink waiting to interrogate this guy.

"FINE!" His victim relented. "I-I'm providing h-him with…"

Suigetsu waited for him to continue but the bartender's eyes suddenly glazed over and his face slackened unnaturally. It was only a few seconds before the man collapsed forward into the blade, slicing it into his jugular. Suigetsu tensed as the man continued to slide forward, emitting a horrible gagging sound before his arms and legs went completely limp, leaving him hanging there gruesomely, supported only by the blade in his neck.

Suigetsu frowned, and pulled his sword out of the wall, watching the man collapse to the ground, his glassy eyes staring up at Suigetsu in a sliver of light from the lamps outside the dingy windows.

He wondered what had killed the man first, his blade or whatever powerful genjutsu Itachi had placed on the pathetic man's mind.

_Fuck_.

Sasuke wasn't going to like this.

* * *

"Sorry, I need to stop," Naruto announced and took off his cloak to reveal a heartily crying Sasuke-chan, as Naruto had taken to calling him in his head. The entire party stopped in their tracks and Naruto tried to ignore the way both of the new additions to the team, Kakashi and Yamato, were staring with oddly uncomfortable and yet curious expressions at the entire process of Naruto trying to figure out whether or not Sasuke wanted to be fed, or changed, or both.

"Here, let me, Naruto-kun," Hinata offered to hold Mikomi while Naruto placed Sasuke-chan on the ground and dealt with all of his struggling.

The kit was now perfectly able to sit up and cry instead of wriggle around on the ground and throw a tantrum. Naruto didn't know whether to feel proud or irritated by this turn of events. So, he just settled for feeling an odd mixture of both as Mikomi woke up and giggled at the apparently amusing situation before her.

They were once again in Snow Country, except this time they were heading toward the border of Rice Field Country instead of away from it.

Tsunade had left shortly after Kakashi's surprise entrance two weeks prior, telling him to take care of Naruto and his babies or she would personally find him and castrate him. Kakashi hadn't seemed the least bit shaken by these words and had amiably waved her off.

Naruto and the others had watched her go until she had disappeared into the trees beyond, and with her exit, Naruto's discomfort had grown.

For three days they had waited for Yamato to arrive. A time in which Naruto had tried his best to ignore the knowing gazes from his former sensei and pretend as though it didn't bother him that Kakashi had apparently and uncannily heard everything Naruto had told Tsunade about his…_situation_. It hadn't helped that Kakashi had refrained from reading his perverted novels in favor of staring at Naruto as he went about taking care of his kits; watching it all as though it was the oddest and yet most fascinating thing he had ever seen in his life.

It was most disconcerting to feel Kakashi kneeling over his right shoulder whenever he struggled with Sasuke and/or Mikomi's diaper. Sometimes, Naruto would catch Sasuke losing his usual pout to simply stare at the one-eyed man behind him. Clearly, Kakashi befuddled the kit to know end, and it may have been the first time Naruto had ever seen the usually belligerant kit look confused. Kakashi would simply stare back in equal befuddlement.

The whole situation was just so…_odd_. It was hard for Naruto not to find it highly amusing to the point where he could brush his embarrassment aside, most of the time.

It was the first time Naruto had ever considered the fact that Kakashi had probably never even seen a baby up close. What with his life as a bachelor and a professional shinobi killing machine. Even Sakura had taken to narrating for Kakashi what Naruto was doing and why, and even how the babies probably felt when something was happening to them and _in _them.

Kakashi had 'hmmed' and "ahhed' in all the right places, clearly curious about the procedures, but sometimes he would stare at Naruto with that same calculating gaze as though he found him to be a puzzle yet to be cracked – and that was when Naruto hadn't been able to keep his own discomfort at bay.

Naruto had tried to ignore it, rubbing the back of his head and chuckling nervously as he'd burped Mikomi on his shoulder or wiped up some of Sasuke's spittle with a rag. He knew he'd probably looked so awkward taking care of his kits, because even Sakura would stare at him with a strange expression at odd intervals.

Of course, he couldn't know that Sakura had actually been admiring him for his parenting skills and wondering how a boy like Naruto could ever become such a natural at mothering.

Naruto's discomfort only grew when Yamato had finally arrived, his expression equally as befuddled-looking as Kakashi's.

As they started their journey from the little hut in Grass Country through the countries of Waterfall and Snow, it wasn't long before both men took to tag-teaming Naruto with odd looks when they thought he wouldn't notice, and, sometimes, even when they knew he would. And when they weren't sending him looks, they were looking at each other and muttering under their breaths in a way that clearly suggested they were talking about him and they just didn't want him to hear. And Naruto would be lying to himself if he didn't admit it was all starting to drive him insane.

Back in the present, Naruto finished up changing Sasuke-chan's diaper, his eyes watering due to the pungent odor. He'd decided to sacrifice his nostrils a few days back because he reasoned that Sakura or Hinata couldn't always be there whenever the kits had to be changed. Besides, he was still a little bothered by what Tsunade had said, before she'd left, about his inability to look after his kits and protect them, and it made him feel better to prove her wrong in a way; even though in the back of his mind he knew that changing diapers wasn't exactly what she had meant.

"We're almost to the border," Sakura informed him as he placed a hiccoughing Sasuke back into the brace around his waist and took Mikomi from Hinata to do the same. "Once we cross over, we'll have to be a lot more cautious."

Naruto nodded. "Thanks, Sakura-chan."

Kiba, who had kept his distance due to his sensitive sense of smell, finally walked over, Akamaru at his side. "The snow's already melted around here, so I can pick up a lot more scents."

"Good," Sakura nodded and wiped hair out of her eyes. "We'll need that once we cross over."

She shifted her stance and looked over at Kakashi, who was leaning on a tree and watching them absently beside Yamato. "Any word from your dogs yet on Sasuke's location, Kakashi-sensei?"

"Not yet," Kakashi replied, pushing off from the tree and placing his hands in his pockets. "I suspect it will take a while for Pakkun and the others to match his trail in a continuous line. Being a shinobi, he tends to travel by alternate routes."

Naruto understood Kakashi to mean that Sasuke probably didn't stick to the ground for very long. It was most likely that he and his _team_ were traveling by tree and rooftop most of the time. No one could say that Sasuke wasn't a good ninja, even Naruto, who had made it a sport to berate the black-haired pre-teen back when they were rivals and friends, and therefore Sasuke would be hard to track. But somehow, despite all of this, Naruto knew he'd be able to find him, just like he'd found him before – and that was what kept him going.

"Well, either way, we should probably make camp," Sakura commented as she glanced at the sky through the trees. "It's already getting dark."

Naruto noticed with a start that she was right. The sky was a mixture of gold and dark blue from the sunset, and the light filtered through the tree branches so that it was much darker on the ground. He hadn't even noticed that they had been travelling for almost twelve hours now. He hadn't even felt tired, which was a better indication than any that he'd fully regained his strength and stamina. Naruto smiled in relief and nearly laughed yet again when Sasuke stared up at him with his usual glare as if asking, 'why are you so happy?'. The kit really didn't know how similar he was to his father.

Naruto's smile faltered and Hinata seemed to notice. "You alright, Naruto-kun?"

"Yeah!" Naruto replied, a new smile instantly on his face as he tried to reassure her. "Of course, couldn't be better…"

Hinata smiled at him, but her gaze was still searching, and Naruto was uncomfortably reminded of her bloodline limit. He suddenly wondered if she could see into his very soul.

"Leave the accomodations to me," Yamato stepped forward into the group and Hinata finally looked away. They all watched as he molded the wood from the trees into the spitting image of a small Japanese inn.

"Wow," Kiba exclaimed, clearly impressed as Hinata nodded her appreciation from beside him. "This sure beats camping the old fashioned way."

They all made their way inside, Yamato directing Naruto and his kits to a room at the far end on the right as everyone else chose their own lodgings for the night. Naruto laid out his sleeping bag upon the floor and took the kits out of their harness before unlatching the whole thing from his middle. Mikomi and Sasuke were both wide awake and he sat down between them. They both sat up and stared at their surroundings, Mikomi looking curious and slightly amused, and Sasuke-chan looking bored and altogether unimpressed. Naruto seriously wondered if it was normal for a baby to be able to do that so effectively.

"So, how do you guys like it?" Naruto murmured. "Nice, huh?"

Mikomi clapped her hands and giggled as if he'd told a particularly good joke.

Naruto smiled and picked her up, bouncing her a bit in his arms. "At least I can count on you to be happy."

She giggled again and raised one of her pudgy arms to poke him on the nose. Naruto laughed, trying to dodge her pokes lest they get him in a nostril, before pulling up her little sunflower dress, courtesy of Hinata, and blowing loudly on her tummy. She giggled hysterically at that, clearly beside herself with glee as he continued to make funny noises.

Naruto finally stopped when he heard a little whimper to his right. Looking down, he noticed with a start that Sasuke-chan was staring up at him and holding his pudgy arms out as if he wanted to be held.

Naruto smiled, "Jealous of your sister, eh?"

Sasuke-chan still looked perfectly disgruntled when Naruto picked him up and placed him beside Mikomi on his lap, but Naruto could tell he was content. Naruto removed their snow caps and kissed them both between their swiveling ears.

"You don't have to worry about favorites, I love you both," Naruto murmured as Mikomi giggled and took to poking her brother in the eye, which inevitably made Sasuke-chan begin to cry again.

Naruto really tried hard not to laugh as he disengaged the two and brushed away Sasuke's weakening tears with his thumb. Really, Sasuke-chan liked to put up a tough face, but he was actually the soft one on the inside. He suddenly wondered if his father was the same way. That was an odd thought. Although for all Naruto knew, his kit got his soft side from Naruto himself.

Sasuke yawned and promptly fell asleep, followed soon after by Mikomi who had rolled toward Naruto's chest and placed a curled hand above his heart.

"Naruto!" Sakura's voice travelled through the halls of the house. "Dinner!"

Naruto sighed and placed the babies within the sleeping bag. It was still a cold night so he replaced their caps. He glanced back at their sleeping forms one last time before leaving the room.

* * *

"I'm going to the onsen. Stay here," Sasuke stated, noting how Juugo nodded and Karin's face fell predictably, before he stepped out of the room and slid the shogi door closed behind him.

He made his way through the run-down village with light steps; he looked casual, but his senses were, as always, on high alert. He could sense every chakra signature within a two block radius, all of them weak. The buildings were dark with only a spot of light every time he passed a small inn or the active flower district. He wouldn't be surprised if most of the village men spent their nights there; endulging themselves in baser pleasures simply because they had nothing else to live for.

This definitely seemed like a place Itachi would haunt. A broken town full of desperate men.

He finally arrived at a small, decrepit wooden building with two red lanterns hanging precariously off of the roof and above the doorway. An old, frail woman sat behind a desk and he placed some currency in front of her before picking up a frayed basket with a towel and making his way into the male changing room.

It was after midnight, and as expected, the place was empty of customers. He placed his basket on the bench in the middle of the room and got undressed, placing his clothes into one of the many cubby holes. He was about to pick up his towel before his gaze caught upon a mirror slightly to the right of him. Through its reflection, he could see the reflection from another slightly dirty mirror right behind him on the other side of the room, allowing him to see his pale back perfectly. His gaze followed the now slightly pink scars that traversed his back, from top to bottom at a slightly diagonal angle toward his sides. He resisted the urge to touch the marks and shook his head to rid himself of the mixed emotions he felt everytime he caught sight of them.

He picked up the towel more forcefully than was warranted and made his way into the onsen. He sat at a stool and cleaned his hair and skin with a grungy bar of soap and water from one of the faucets lining that wall. His black locks went limp and barely brushed the middle of the back of his neck as water made its way down his pale muscles and into the rusted drain below.

He avoided touching his back altogether. It had become a taboo area in his mind ever since he'd acquired the welts.

He scrubbed an area of his chest with a wash cloth a bit too hard when an uninhibited image of glazed burgundy eyes topped by blond spiky locks surfaced in his mind, bruised lips panting in a steady rhythm. He couldn't stop the shudder that wracked his cold body as he closed the tap, and he leaned forward and closed his eyes, resting his damp forehead against the tile wall in front of him. He tried to calm himself, to divert his thoughts, but suddenly his mind was overwrought with images of that night and everything he'd felt came rushing back to him. He felt the telltale signs of arousal build up in his gut and he bit his lip in frustration. No matter how hard he'd tried in these recent months he couldn't control it; he couldn't keep _him _out of his head.

It wasn't supposed to be like this. He had spent years forgetting – successfully separating himself from his previous life and everyone who went with it. He was an avenger. He knew he could have no room for attachments as long as he had to become strong enough to kill that man. Bonds made him weak and emotions clouded his vision – kept him from achieving a cold detachment in the face of adversity. Without his separation, he couldn't concentrate enough to hone his skills and he knew – every shinobi knew – that a moment of distraction could cost him his life.

This was unlike him. Unlike the man he'd become after years of training under and defeating Orochimaru, after years of keeping a healthy distance from even the members of his new team. It was unlike him to slip so far like he had those many months ago. It was unlike him to lose so much control.

Against his will he remembered the way Naruto's sweat-slicked skin felt as the taut muscles rolled beneath his own, the way his lips crushed against his, and the taste of Naruto's salty skin when Sasuke had nibbled the muscle between his neck and shoulder.

Sasuke groaned and hit his head against the wall, not enough to cause injury, but just enough to sting. He stood up and slid the small stool away with is foot, before walking over and sinking into the hot water of the bath with a hiss, not quite able to ignore the way the change in temperature sent an all too pleasant jolt up his now sensitive hard-on.

Why couldn't he have stayed away? Why couldn't he have just understood that Sasuke wanted to be alone? To kill his brother alone? But instead the idiot had just continued to pursue him, pushing him to lose control when he hadn't even known he'd been holding himself back.

Sasuke's hand found his sensitive erection beneath the water and stroked it, hating himself for giving in, but knowing that this was the only way to alleviate the urges after months of trying to ignore it unsuccessfully.

He closed his eyes and let memories of his last encounter with Naruto take over his thoughts. He picked up his rhythm as he remembered the way it had felt to enter him, the way Naruto's body clenched around him, his unnaturally long nails digging into Sasuke's back. Even the way Naruto's loose bangs clung to his perspiring forehead and glowed in the eerie moonlight of that night.

Sasuke's soft gasp echoed across the tiled walls of the bath house as he neared completion. In his uncharacteristic daze, he completely missed the entrance of someone else into the bathhouse and the way that person had stopped to watch him with a smirk.

"Having fun, boss?"

Sasuke's eyes snapped open and widened for a split second before he collected himself and glared at a goading Suigetsu, who was standing as naked as the day he was born near the threshold to the changing room. Sasuke crossed his legs in an attempt to hide his unfinished problem, but his expression remained surprisingly cool.

"Any news?" Sasuke managed to ask in that famous monotone of his, knowing that if he'd ignored the entire situation Suigetsu might have _thought_ he'd witnessed, the other man would fail to push it further.

"None," Suigetsu replied, still smirking knowingly. "The guy who met with Itachi died before I could get anything out of him."

One of Sasuke's eyebrows rose and he cocked his head a bit in question, prompting Suigetsu to elaborate.

"It seems Itachi placed a genjutsu in his mind that triggered when he nearly gave away information to me," Suigetsu continued. "And he still got blood all over my sword."

Sasuke looked away, thinking. He wasn't all that surprised about Itachi's abilities, but it certainly placed yet another obstacle in Sasuke's path.

"This isn't good, is it, boss?" Suigetsu asked, pulling a stool out for himself and looking back over his pale shoulder at Sasuke.

Sasuke shook his head in agreement. Especially since he still had a painful hard-on that didn't seem to be going away any time soon.

Suigetsu turned one of the taps on and Sasuke sunk into the hot bath water, blowing bubbles of frustration as he went.

* * *

"Aaaagghhhh!" Naruto's screams rang throughout the makeshift house, sending the inhabitants in a scramble to reach his room.

Kakashi got there first as he had been on guard for that part of the night, but Yamato skidded into the room shortly afterward, nearly bumping into Kakashi's back.

"Naruto?!" Sakura skid into the room after them, green eyes widening as she took in the situation. Naruto was still screaming and his babies were crying harshly.

"The Fox is trying to take over again!" Hinata exclaimed when she made it into the room, her byakugan activated as she surveyed Naruto and his kits writhing, red-chakra encased bodies.

"Yamato!" Kakashi ordered.

The ANBU nodded and quickly performed a number of handseals, placing his palm in the air which now glowed with the kanji for 'sit', before slapping his palm upon Naruto's stomach, right above the seal. He ignored how the chakra burned as he cried out, "Hokage-style Submission Jutsu! Kaku'an's Enlightened Return!"

Naruto's body shuddered and the red chakra pulled back, as though sucked right behind his seal. When the last of the chakra retreated, the room was left in absolute silence; Naruto and the babies completely knocked out cold.

"Is everything alright?" Kiba asked, breathless. He'd made it last into the room, his chest once again bare as he was still in his night-clothes. Akamaru wimpered at his side.

"I think he's fine now," Yamato replied, rubbing the sweat from his brow as he breathed in deeply. "Hinata?"

"The chakra is back behind the seal," she informed, scanning him with her bloodline limit. "His chakra pathways are normal and the babies seem to be unchanged."

"Is this what happened before?" Sakura asked a little breathlessly.

"Yeah, except before it took us a lot longer to get rid of it," Kiba replied gruffly, wiping his nose. "It still smells a lot like the Fox though."

Sakura frowned, but she noticed Yamato as he stared at his burnt hands. "I can heal them for you, Yamato-sensei," she offered.

"Thanks," he nodded, and allowed her to take his hands and apply her healing chakra.

Naruto suddenly began to stir and he groaned as he sat up.

"Naruto…" Sakura began, moving to kneel beside him, but he held out his palm, stopping her.

"I'm fine," he stated, sounding a bit winded, as he pulled his babies closer to him and woke them up.

He let out a sigh of relief after he studied them.

"No changes?" Kiba asked.

Naruto nodded. "They're fine," but he sounded depressed, his voice merely a murmer.

"They seem to be healthier now," Hinata added as she watched him for his reaction. "They're chakra reserves are stronger somehow, fuller."

Naruto nodded, a frown tugging at his mouth.

"You stopped it?" Naruto asked, looking up at Yamato. The man nodded and he smiled a little, although it didn't reach his eyes, "thanks."

"Naruto…" Sakura began again, her voice soft.

"Look, uh…" he interrupted, he looked up at everyone in the room. "Could I be alone…for a little bit?"

Sakura tensed, but Kakashi nodded, "Yeah. Let's leave him for a bit, okay kids?"

Everyone nodded uncertainly, before leaving the room. Kakashi, however, lagged behind, closing the door behind everyone else as he stayed in the room.

Naruto had covered his face with his hands and was leaning forward on them, but it was clear by the tenseness of his shoulders that he knew Kakashi was still there.

"Something bothering you?" Kakashi asked, kneeling beside him and gazing down at the top of Naruto's spiky blond head as rays of dawnlight began to pour in through the window.

"No," Naruto lied, his voice tellingly hoarse.

Kakashi sighed. "It's not your fault."

Naruto tensed, but he didn't say anything. That was enough for Kakashi to know he'd hit the mark.

Kakashi sat down fully and put his hand on Naruto's head, before sliding it to his tense shoulder and waiting until the boy relaxed into him. He knew what Naruto was going through was tough. It had been hard at first for Kakashi to even believe that what Naruto was going through was real, but it was. Naruto was now responsible for two lives and it made absolute sense to Kakashi why Naruto had done what he'd done up until this point. He'd watched his former student take care of his babies and it had made him realize how capable Naruto really was. He wasn't a kid anymore, but he wasn't an adult either. He was strong, but he still needed support. Kakashi recognized this, even though, admittedly, he was no expert at playing the part he knew he had to play for Naruto's sake.

"Kakashi-sensei?"

"Hmm?" Kakashi looked down at Naruto's head which was now buried in his crossed arms, muffling his voice.

"Thanks."

"Don't mention it."

At that moment a soft pop greeted his ears and Pakkun materialized in front of him, making Naruto look up and stare at the dog as well.

"Report?" Kakashi asked calmly.

"We've found him," the dog stated, his heavy brows threatening to overtake his eyes as he looked up at them gravely.

Naruto tensed, his expression suddenly anxious and hopeful, and he answered for Kakashi. "Take us to him."

Kakashi and Naruto stood up, and Kakashi walked to the door of the room, letting Naruto situate himself and his babies. He could only hope that Naruto was right about Sasuke being able – no, wanting – to help. But no one could deny that Naruto clearly wanted to meet the boy again, and who was Kakashi to stop him?

Kakashi had always known, no matter what Sasuke thought or did, those boys needed each other, and Kakashi was going to see that they found each other again.

* * *

AN: I've realized that one of the obstacles facing me with any SasuNaruSasu fic I write is simply the fact that I don't know who Time-Jump!Sasuke is. I don't really understand his motivations, his perspective, his emotions…but I think I've worked that out a bit by writing this chapter…and I hope that shows.

As always, I'm powered by reviews. So please, send some good (renewable) energy my way!


	8. Reunions

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. Especially not after this…

AN: Thanks once again for all of the helpful and thrilling reviews! I am truly in y'all's debt, because I think your wonderful comments helped me get this chapter a lot faster than I'd intended.

And yes, this is thechapter you've all been waiting for…so I hope y'all enjoy.

* * *

Chapter 7: Reunions

"We've got company, Sasuke-kun," Karin muttered from beside him.

"How far?" Sasuke asked, stopping in his tracks and regarding her seriously.

"Just on the ridge," she replied looking behind them surrepticiously, through the dense fog.

The silhouette of Suigetsu moved closer alongside Juugo so that Sasuke could see their faces within the misty air.

"Should we engage?" Suigetsu asked with a smirk, moving his arm back over his pale shoulder to grip the hilt of the huge sword on his back.

Sasuke thought for a moment, feeling the faint familiar chakra patterns and realizing exactly how many there were and their identities. Against his will, it felt like something large and heavy dropped within his stomach as his heart rate sped up. He narrowed his eyes a bit and nodded to Suigetsu. "Spread out, but… Juugo," he looked up at the tall nin. "You stay close to me."

Juugo nodded, appearing grateful, before he walked a short distance way, stopping before the mist engulfed his form completely as Suigetsu and Karin disappeared into it in opposite directions.

Sasuke stood and waited, knowing what he had to do. He closed his eyes and when they opened, they were blood red.

This time, he wouldn't hesitate.

* * *

"He's down there, travelling through the rice patties."

Naruto looked down where Pakkun was pointing with his paw, his heart beating rapidly within his chest. They were currently on the side of a mountain, within dense shrubbery which they had to pull back in order to see the valley below. Kakashi crouched just behind him, Sakura and Hinata to his right and Kiba and Yamato to his left. Naruto stared into the valley, but he couldn't see anything, the entire valley was covered in a thick mist which hadn't burned off yet as the sun had just barely come up only hours ago. From what Pakkun had said, there should have been rice patties visible throughout the low ground, but he couldn't see anything and it made him slightly anxious.

"I don't see him," Naruto spoke, his voice almost a growl of frustration.

"I do."

Naruto looked behind him and saw Kakashi's revealed sharingan and he was staring at a fixed spot below.

"He's stopped," Kakashi continued. "Along with three others. Most likely his new team."

"So, he knows we're here," Sakura spoke lowly, biting her lower lip.

"Most likely," Kakashi replied. "But I can't see anything more than their chakra signatures. Hinata?"

Hinata shook her head, looking apologetic. "I-I see their chakra, nothing else. The cloud cover is too thick."

"Then we'll have to go in," Naruto stated, and he was about to spring forward before Kakashi placed a hand against his chest, stopping him.

"Yamato, Sakura, Kiba, and I will go in first," Kakashi muttered, the others nodding. "You and Hinata stay back until the situation is under control. Hinata will be able to inform you of our movements."

"But…!" Naruto exclaimed, but Kakashi interrupted him.

"You can't go down there blindly with your babies." Kakashi looked down at him sternly.

Naruto placed his hand against the warm bundle beneath his cloak that he knew was Sasuke-chan perched against his middle in reflex, but he still frowned at Kakashi – letting him know that he didn't like this plan. He didn't want to put his kits in danger, but he knew that he could still protect them – and some part of him strongly believed that Sasuke would never hurt the kits once he knew the truth. It was that part that he listened to as he held Kakashi's gaze.

Besides, he was afraid that if he didn't tell Sasuke the truth fast, the boy would leave before he ever got the chance, and he'd have to go after him all over again.

"Let me send some kage bunshin," Naruto pressed, his voice determined. "I'll stay up here with the kits and Hinata, but I'm going to talk to Sasuke."

Kakashi stared at him, the cogs moving in his head, before he acquiesced, nodding. "Fine, but don't lose control, and don't motivate him to come and find the real you until we know he can be trusted."

Naruto nodded, he would make sure not to overexert himself. He couldn't afford to have the Kyuubi come out now. As for Kakashi's second warning, he knew that Sasuke already knew where he was. He could already feel that strange tingling sensation between his shoulder blades, as if he was being tracked. It was a feeling singular to his encounters with Sasuke's sharingan, and while it could be unsettling, it was also strangely satisfying. Afterall, he'd always wanted Sasuke to acknowledge him – to make him know that Naruto existed in those eyes. It was strange, but he'd always felt that way and it wasn't any different now, even after everything that had happened.

"Be careful, Naruto," Sakura murmured, placing a hand on his shoulder and squeezing it reassuringly. "Soon, you'll be back with Sasuke."

Naruto nodded and smiled at her as she smiled at him, but he was suddenly reminded how much Sakura had wanted Sasuke back as well, and he was ashamed to say that in the frenzy of the past month's developments, Naruto had almost forgotten that fact. Afterall, hadn't Sakura loved their missing team mate?

Never once since Sakura had found him in that shack more than a month ago had Naruto thought about that fact, and now that he did it made him feel a bit ashamed of himself. She'd never made it seem as though she was angry with Naruto when she'd heard the news. At least, not about the fact that Naruto and Sasuke had…well…

But she hadn't seemed fazed by it and so, with everything else going on, Naruto had forgotten. But really, now he wondered, how did she really feel? It made Naruto uncomfortable to say the least.

He placed a hand at the back of his neck and muttered, trying to show her how sincere he really was with the tone of his voice, "soon, we'll _both_ be back with Sasuke."

She glanced at him a bit oddly at that but she nodded, still smiling, and stepped back beside Kakashi as he, Yamato, and Kiba got ready to go into the fogged valley below.

Naruto took in a long breath and then performed the seals that, after years of practice, had come to him by pure muscle-memory alone, creating twelve clones. He nodded to them and they to him, before Kakashi, Yamato, Sakura, and Kiba leapt down the mountain. Naruto watched his clones follow them close behind, until they were lost in the fog that crept a quarter way up the mountain.

Hinata glanced at him and smiled reassuringly and he smiled at her in return, but after that, all he could do was hold his breath, his heart beating a frenzied rhythm against the cage of his chest.

He could only hope this worked.

With every fiber of his being.

* * *

"Kage Bunshin, huh," Sasuke muttered, watching the cloned chakra signature branch off into twelve others and race down the mountain behind four equally familiar chakra signatures. But he knew that the real one he had wanted to fight had stayed back, his chakra tainted by something otherworldly and dark, which had always been a dead giveaway.

It was strange that Naruto wasn't barreling straight in. Sasuke knew his fighting style, and Naruto never stayed back; he always foolhardedly jumped head first into any fray. Naruto also had to know that his Bunshin were no match against Sasuke, so Sasuke had to wonder what he was up to. No matter how much of a dead-last Naruto was, Sasuke couldn't believe that Naruto would think his clones and the four others with him would be enough. No, there was something else going on, because it would take something momentous to keep Naruto back out of the fight. Especially during a fight with Sasuke.

Sasuke stiffened his stance upon the water below his feet, and waited for what would come, looking around him into the mist and only seeing Juugo, standing near him. Sasuke saw the chakra signatures enter the rice paddies, before breaking off in different directions. He could feel some of them getting closer to Karin and Suigetsu before stopping. Apparently, they had sensed the two and were facing off.

Sasuke saw the clones scatter before stopping and then coming together. They stayed still for long minutes, before they moved rapidly in exactly his direction. His eyes narrowed and it wasn't long before he saw their silhouettes emerge from the mist. Before they could surround him, he pulled in a breath and dashed forward, meeting the first with the blade of his katana and releasing it into a plume of smoke.

Another moved to attack him and he feinted left, sliding his feet around in a half crescent, sending ripples through the water above the budding rice stalks before forcing a well-aimed back kick into another clone's gut. The clone dissipated before another took its place, but this one dodged the lunge of his sword and spoke as it leaned backward from the tip of his blade.

"Sasuke, we need to talk."

Sasuke didn't miss the second time, impaling the clone before it could straighten itself.

"I don't want to fight you!"

Sasuke turned around and aimed a roundhouse kick at the clone behind him, but it jumped and back flipped out of his reach.

"There's something," the clone crouched below his blade and swung right and forward, closer into his personal space. "I need to tell you."

Sasuke grabbed the clone by its collar and forced a sharp punch into its gut. It disappeared. Nine more.

Two more came out of the mist, one jumping to grab his neck from behind and the other moving to punch him in the stomach, but he bent over just in time and used the clone's momentum to throw it over his back and into the clone in front of him. They both fell on top of each other before poofing out of existence. Seven more.

"Sasuke…"

Sasuke slashed the clone with a kunai.

Six.

"I need you to listen to me."

He pulled its head down into a forceful knee kick.

Five.

"It's important, damnit!"

Sasuke barely looked up in time to see a clone leap at him from the sky. He caught the clone by the belt and collar and rolled his shoulder forward, sending the clone to the ground. It disappeared.

Four.

He slashed another and its partner. Naruto didn't even seem to be trying, and this unnerved him.

Two.

"Bastard!"

One.

The last clone tried to kick him low with a roundhouse kick, but he leapt easily and caught the clone's answering punch with one hand. He twisted the hand and forced the clone against him, back to front. He slid his katana against the clone's throat, but didn't puncture it.

He whispered into its ear, ignoring the way his own heart skipped a beat at the familiar scent that assaulted him as its hair tickled his nose. "If you really want me to listen then come down yourself."

His sword dug in and the clone was no more.

* * *

Sakura and Kakashi halted when a figure emerged through the mist and stopped only a few meters away.

Sakura squinted and recognized the nin to be a woman, slightly taller than her, with long mid-thigh high stockings and bright red hair. The woman regarded them coolly through thick-rimmed glasses, her visage the picture of irritation.

"Who are you?" The woman asked, but it seemed as though she didn't really care.

"We're some old friends of Sasuke's," Kakashi replied coolly, intercepting Sakura's heated retort. "And who might you be?"

"Sasuke's lover," the woman stated matter-of-factly, barely batting an eyelash at the strange proclamation.

"I doubt it," Sakura quipped darkly, before she could stop herself. She already hated this woman and she hardly knew her.

But the woman glared at her, her mouth pulled down in a frown of pure disdain. "And I suppose you fancy yourself one of his little whores?"

"_What?!_"

"Maa maa," Kakashi interrupted, pushing a hand to Sakura's chest as she moved forward and flexed her glove. "We don't need to get off on the wrong foot, _ladies_."

Sakura glared at him. She loved Kakashi, but he sure could come off as a total sexist when he wanted to.

Kakashi sighed at the two glaring women. He must have said something wrong again. Although, as was often the case, he couldn't say exactly what.

* * *

Kiba signalled to Yamato to stop when he smelled something strange. He looked around them but he couldn't see where the scent was coming from. Although he knew it smelled like a person. A person who was disturbingly close.

Akamaru whimpered from beside him and was vigorously sniffing the water. Kiba looked down and the smell became stronger, but he couldn't see anything. It was weird. He'd never encountered something like this before and it irked him.

Suddenly the smell moved away and Akamaru followed it with his nose. Kiba and Yamato nodded to each other and followed the dog slowly, cautiously.

They walked only a few steps before Akamaru yelped and something jumped – no, transformed – out of the water, pushing Akamaru back into the water now that his feet couldn't pad across it.

Kiba and Yamato stiffened as a man slowly formed out of the water, clothes and all, carrying a huge sword.

"Hi, I'm Suigetsu," The man grinned, picking his oddly sharp teeth with a blade of rice grass. He pulled the sword out of the hilt on his back nonchalantly and pointed it at them. "I'm here to kill you."

* * *

Naruto stiffened as his last clone's memory poured in and he shook his head. He frowned, somehow he wasn't surprised Sasuke was making it so difficult. The guy really liked to be a big pain in the ass. He breathed in, once again feeling Sasuke's sharingan trained on him.

"Kakashi and Sakura have encountered one of Sasuke's team members, but they're still not moving," Hinata murmured, her byakugan activated and her hand held in a seal. "The same is happening with Yamato and Kiba."

Naruto barely heard her, coming to a swift conclusion of his own.

_Fine_.

"I'll be back," Naruto muttered to Hinata, barely capturing her expression of shock, before he leapt down the mountain as fast as his cargo allowed him.

"Naruto…!"

He hit the ground and immediately stepped into water before correcting with his chakra and running above it. The mist was thick and impenetrable, but he remembered where his clones had moved and he followed their crooked path toward his target.

Sasuke had better allow him to talk, or he was seriously going to beat his stubborn, arrogant ass into the mud.

* * *

Sasuke watched as Naruto slowed down and emerged through the fog, small ripples emanating through the water at his feet with each step. His mouth was pulled down in a petulant frown, clearly agitated with Sasuke's behavior, and Sasuke had a strong urge to make a sarcastic remark about his lack of skills, but he held his tongue. He made sure he looked perfectly impassive as Naruto approached and stopped in front of him.

Sasuke was irritated again, although he didn't show that either. He didn't know what he had to do to keep Naruto from pursuing him, but he was pretty sure pretending Naruto didn't exist should have done the job. Naruto should have taken the hint. He should have realized that Sasuke wanted nothing to do with him, but instead the idiot had followed him again and wasted Sasuke's time with clones that could barely stand up to him.

Of course, Sasuke thought with a mental scowl that showed no trace on his face, it probably didn't help that the last time they'd met, they'd…

"We need to talk, Sasuke…"

Sasuke stiffened almost imperceptively as Naruto suddenly started to look nervous, his blue eyes darting away at strange intervals and his voice trailing off. Sasuke suddenly realized something he had been trying to deny during this entire encounter, but couldn't any longer. Naruto wanted to talk and the last time they'd met, they'd…so he must have wanted to talk about…

Which was _completely_ out of the question.

Naruto stepped forward, his eyes holding Sasuke's for only moments at a time before darting away, and Sasuke began to feel uniquely trapped. Something he hadn't felt since he was a small child and the world had seemed to be closing in on him.

"I need to tell you that…" Naruto's voice halted as Sasuke moved quicker than he could sense and slid the blade of his katana against Naruto's neck. Sasuke noticed a strange bulk as he tried to press the blade against Naruto's throat from behind his back, but he ignored it.

"I will kill you," Sasuke whispered into Naruto's ear, pushing down the urge to nuzzle into those blond locks, and silently cursing himself for even having the urge to do so in the first place.

He needed to get rid of Naruto. It was the only way. The only way to get rid of this awkwardness, this stupidity – because the idiot had proven that he would never leave him alone. Yes, he would do it. It was the only way.

"No you won't."

Sasuke frowned slightly at the surety in Naruto's voice and pushed his blade further into the skin of Naruto's neck, not yet breaking the delicate surface. "I will."

"Why?" Naruto's voice sounded more curious than afraid, which unnerved Sasuke greatly – although he didn't show it.

"A whim," Sasuke replied, his voice confident as it had been that time he'd said these very same words before.

Yes, the bonds were broken – he had severed them, no matter what Naruto had thought. He would end this now. All he had to do was move his sword.

"Asshole," Naruto cursed softly and his entire body stiffened, although he started to sound unsure of himself for the first time. "I don't believe you…Let me go, I need to show you…"

Suddenly, the lump on Naruto's back moved and Sasuke felt it jab him in his stomach, followed by what sounded like a high pitched giggle. Sasuke's red gaze shot down to the lump for a very short moment, before he pulled at Naruto's cloak and ripped it off.

Sasuke stepped back and stared, his katana held loosely at his side. What Sasuke saw made him forget for a moment what he had just been planning to do. It took a few more seconds than usual for him to process it, and when he did, he knew that it didn't make any sense. He stared, at a complete loss. For the first time, he allowed his expression to show the emotion beneath because he simply didn't have the will to control it.

There was, what appeared to be, a baby strapped onto Naruto's back. A blond haired baby with unnervingly familiar whisker marks adorning its cheeks as it smiled at him innocuously. A baby who had apparently _kicked_ him from behind the cloak when he was about to kill Naruto with a mere slice to the jugular.

There was only one thing that stood out from all of the rest of the things now swimming around in Sasuke's brain, and that was a question – a very important question, something that had to be voiced.

"Why is there a _baby _strapped to your _back_?"

"Actually…" Naruto turned around slowly, smiling sheepishly, a hand rubbing at the back at his neck like he had used to do when he was twelve and easily flustered, as he turned fully around to face Sasuke – and Sasuke's eyes widened even furthur with the sight of another baby…who was quite clearly and disturbingly glaring at him with its strange golden eyes. "I've got two."

"What are you doing with _two_ babies?" Sasuke's voice was tight and controlled as he fought to bring his expression back under its usual mask.

There was something that bothered him deeply about seeing the two infants – something that really got under his skin – something about the uncanny whisker marks on each little cheek and the irritatingly familiar golden hair of the one on Naruto's back.

"That's what I wanted to talk to you about," Naruto began, although he looked a bit queasy at the prospect. "Uh…well, it's a long story…and you're probably not going to believe it…but…"

Sasuke glared at him, irritated and strangely morose about this turn of events for reasons he couldn't explain even to himself.

"Um…yeah," Naruto began lamely, clearly not all that effected by Sasuke's death glare, but then again he had always been one of the impenetrable few. "So, these are my kits."

Sasuke frowned, gripping the hilt of his katana with more force than was necessary. "Kits?"

"Yeah, you know, my babies," Naruto replied, looking very uncomfortable as the black-haired baby on his front continued to glare at Sasuke just like his strange little hat.

Sasuke didn't understand why Naruto was telling him this, or even why he was here. He just knew that he suddenly felt a strange pressure in his chest, almost painful, when he saw how closely those babies resembled their father…and he had to wonder, because he couldn't control the thought, who the mother was, and if they looked like her too.

He suddenly felt angry, spiteful even – but he made sure the emotions never crossed his face. He remained eerily calm on the surface, but on the inside he was silently seething.

Sasuke remained completely quiet, emotionless, as he closed himself off. He didn't want to say anything, he didn't want anything to be said. He wanted to get away and finally kill his brother; he wanted to complete the task at hand. He didn't need Naruto to tell him these things, they didn't need to talk. All of this was completely meaningless; a distraction.

He didn't care. He didn't.

"I named my daughter Mikomi," Naruto continued, but Sasuke felt like he was listening to him through a very long tunnel. "and my son is named Sasuke after his…"

The tunnel collapsed and Naruto's words were suddenly very clear. Naruto seemed to notice Sasuke's shift in focus because he closed his blue eyes and breathed in deeply, before opening them and looking squarely at Sasuke, suddenly determined, like he was challenging him to a secret spar.

"You're their father, Sasuke. That's what I had to tell you."

Sasuke's heart nearly stopped, his lips suddenly dry and chapped and his voice hoarse. He wondered if he was trapped in some sort of strange genjutsu of Itachi's and this was all some big ploy to exploit his weaknesses, but somehow he doubted Itachi could ever be nearly this creative. "_What?_"

Naruto only licked his lips and stepped forward, but Sasuke immediately stepped back, suddenly stiff and uncharacteristically weary.

Naruto swallowed and repeated himself, looking at Sasuke straight in the eye – his expression almost pleading. "These are your kits – your babies…and mine."

Sasuke didn't believe what Naruto was saying – he couldn't believe it. Was this Naruto's idea of a twisted joke? Some sort of new ploy to get Sasuke to come back to Konoha? He didn't know. He fought to remain calm, to keep his irritation and a mix of other warring emotions at bay as he clenched his jaw. He couldn't let the idiot know how this was effecting him – how weak and confused it made him feel.

Maybe he should just walk away. Call Hebi back from this inane confrontation and get on with his true path – the true reason why he was here. This was a fine plan, but for the fact that his feet felt planted in place, his limbs completely unresponsive to his commands. He didn't even want to think that it wasn't his limbs that were disobeying, but his heart.

"When you and I…" Naruto began, before trailing off, placing an arm around the baby strapped to his front."That night when we…" Naruto stopped again, once again looking unsure. "The Fox took over. It changed me and made me have kits…"

He stopped again, and Sasuke wanted to walk away, to stop listening, but he couldn't. An image of Naruto being engulfed in red chakra and burning heat rose to the forefront of Sasuke's mind before he could quash it. It just wasn't possible. A boy couldn't get pregnant. That was just…_absurd_. And it had only been five months since they had…not that he'd been counting…but weren't babies born after _nine _months? It was all completely impossible. None of it added up, and Sasuke felt irritated with himself for even analyzing it as much as he was…as if Naruto could be telling the truth.

He ignored the pain that accompanied his recognition of the obvious. Naruto had impregnated some…_girl_ back in the village, a matter of months before Naruto and he had done what they should have never done. And now, Naruto was trying to lie to him, to convince him for some reason that these were somehow Sasuke's babies too…but he didn't know why…

Naruto broke into his thoughts. "They're _your _kits…and…"

The baby on Naruto's front began to wail loudly, and Naruto paused, looking a bit exasperated as he pulled the baby out of its harness and rocked it in his arms. Sasuke couldn't look away from the spectacle, even though it made him distinctly uncomfortable.

Naruto looked eerily right with a baby in his arms – the way he held the infant, the way he looked down at it every once and a while – he was clearly experienced at caring for it. Sasuke had never seen Naruto like this. He'd never seen his old rival look so domestic.

He'd gotten so used to the powerful, loud, and rough Naruto in battle over the last few years, that he had almost forgotten Naruto was anything else. He hadn't wanted to think that either of them were anything else – especially not Sasuke.

The wails died down as Naruto's arms swayed back and forth, and now both Naruto and Sasuke were staring down at the baby as its golden eyes closed sleepily.

"He used to look a lot more like you," Naruto commented, now looking up at him.

Sasuke's gaze snapped up, and Naruto must have seen his questioning expression, because he continued.

"He used to have black eyes, just like you, and Mikomi used to have blue, but the Fox has been changing them," Naruto said, frowning. "That's why I needed to find you. You can control the Fox, keep it from changing and controlling our kits."

And now it all snapped into place. Naruto needed him to protect his babies, because of something the Kyuubi was doing and no one else in Konoha could do the job. So he made up some inane story about the babies being Sasuke's in order to motivate him to agree. Naruto had always been an idiot, he knew, but it still surprised him that Naruto would think a plan like this would even work. As if Sasuke couldn't put the pieces together for himself and see through his plan.

Sasuke felt irrationally angry and betrayed. He couldn't stop the painful feeling in his chest as he regarded Naruto coldly.

"No," Sasuke replied, his voice completely dry and emotionless.

He should have never lost his control those many months ago. It made him vulnerable and weak; it distracted him from his purpose; led him down a path that would only hurt him in the end. It allowed Naruto to use him when he had once been completely impenetrable. The bonds had been broken and he had been free to gain power in his own way. No, losing control had been his biggest mistake, and he would never make it again.

Naruto looked shocked, but that quickly transformed into anger. "Bastard! You…"

"I will spare your life this time," Sasuke interrupted, beginning to turn away from him and motioning to Juugo, who he had only just remembered was there. "But if you follow me again, I will kill you."

He turned and stepped away a few meters before an explosion of dark chakra erupted behind him.

Sasuke wheeled around and activated his sharingan in order to see Naruto encased in blood red chakra, bubbling and burning around his strained form. Suddenly the chakra exploded outward, rippling the air and the water beneath their feet with its intense force and heat, and hitting Sasuke offguard before he could push it back.

The baby in Naruto's arms and the one on his back began to cry loudly, almost screaming wildly, but Naruto seemed unable to hear them.

The voice that escaped Naruto's throat was deeper than usual, but still vaguely recognizable as his own.

"_BASTARD_! If you won't take care of your kits, then I'll FORCE you to!"

* * *

AN: Um…Woot?


	9. Risktaking

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

AN: I got so many wonderful reviews for the last chapter. I'm so happy you guys enjoyed it (even though it sported an evil cliffhanger of doom)!

I think the funniest review I got was from a certain SneakyFox who wrote: "_OH SHIT!! DEMONIC BABY MOMMA DRAMA!! Naruto won't let Sasuke become a deadbeat baby daddy. Oh hells no!_"

Hahaha…thanks, SneakyFox, those are some words of wit I'll never forget…_demonic baby momma drama _indeed…

* * *

Chapter 8: Risk-Taking

Sakura barely heard the loud explosion, before a sudden wave of heat and immense pressure nearly pushed her off her feet. She placed an arm over her face, barely keeping her eyes open as she tried to look out beneath it.

The air looked like it was on fire, that was the only way to describe it, and it felt hard to breathe, as if something was sucking the air out of her lungs. Kakashi was struggling against it as well, but he seemed not to have to fight as much as she was to stay upright.

"Sakura!" She barely heard Kakashi yell to her over the roar. "Get back!"

She nodded and leapt backward with him until the pressure lessened enough so that she could watch what was going on openly. Her eyes widened as she witnessed what seemed to be a bubble of fire pushing outwards and burning all the fog in it's path. The woman she and Kakashi had just recently been facing off with was now crouched low on the ground, staring in horror at the fiery air that swirled around her.

Sakura knew what this was. She'd seen this – had felt this – only once before; the unforgiving pressure, the dark, demonic aura that permeated the air. She'd experienced this before, and at that time, Naruto and she had gotten hurt. Her recognition of the situation sent a jolt of panic down her spine.

_Naruto…no…_

"_NARUTO!_"

As if he'd heard her cry, the bubble of fire shuddered and contracted, leaving the air perfectly clear – no more fog to obstruct their vision – and as it contracted, she could just barely see several figures in the distance, standing around the epicenter and staring at it just as she was. She barely recognized them as Kiba and Yamato, standing beside Akamaru, and a frightened looking Hinata who seemed to be out of breath. Another large nin Sakura couldn't recognize stood stiffly between her, Kakashi, and the others. The bubble contracted further and yet another figure was revealed – his black-clad form stiff, katana outstretched, and sharingan blazing. Sakura sucked in a breath.

_Sasuke…_

The red-haired woman finally stumbled to her feet and pointed with a quivering index finger toward the epicenter of the powerful chakra signature, her voice nearly hysterical, "What the _hell _is _that_?!"

Sakura's eyes slid to the right and the sight they met with made her want to hold her breath forever. The contracted bubble of fire was now sitting within the claws of something barely recognizable as Naruto; his form was silhouetted in darkness, his jaw open and showing jagged inhuman teeth, and he had four tails propped up in stiff arcs behind him. Sakura could hear babies crying and realized they were still strapped to his form. Only little Sasuke was visible from her angle, encased in red chakra, and she could just barely see the slits of his little glowing, red eyes as he cried.

Sakura couldn't believe Naruto had left the moutainside to confront Sasuke himself when he knew the danger that would pose to his babies; and now he'd completely lost control. The Kyuubi was taking over and slowly killing him as it pumped him and the babies with harmful and yet powerful chakra.

How could Naruto let this happen? He knew how important it was to stay in control. How could he do this? She'd thought he knew better than anyone what letting the Kyuubi out would do…he was being completely irresponsible…stupid…brainless…and ignorant. She couldn't even believe he would let this happen…

_He needed to wake up…now._

"NARUTO!!" She cried out yet again, but Kakashi's hand was soon on her shoulder, holding her back.

"Naruto has a plan."

Sakura looked up at him in disbelief, but Kakashi's expression was perfectly serious, his one sharingan staring steadily ahead.

Sakura turned her head slowly and stared at Naruto's demonic form and then at the battle-ready Sasuke across from him, which allowed Kakashi's meaning to click in her head, as if someone had walked into her mind and turned on the lights.

It was risky. She couldn't believe Naruto would take that kind of risk, no matter how good of a plan it was, but…

She frowned, still inordinately scared for him as he condensed the ball of powerful chakra further within his claws, his abnormal body arching primitively around it as if coaxing it to life, little by little.

_You frikkin' idiot…I'm gonna kill you if this doesn't…_

* * *

Sasuke stared ahead at the demonic form before him. He could feel powerful, dark chakra ripple toward him in waves as a barely concealed threat. He outwardly sensed the other chakra signatures around him; familiar shinobi watching him intently now that the fog had been burned off and the sun shone brightly down upon them, glowing upon the water which rippled between the rows of rice stalks.

He pulled his katana up and slid it into its hilt behind his back. He wouldn't be needing it anymore. It would only be a hindrance.

This was the calm before the storm, he knew. He watched the immensely powerful ball of chakra condense further between his opponent's claws. The air was rife with electricity and a strange odor of ozone, and the raw power that Naruto now displayed sent the hair on the back of Sasuke's neck on end, much against his control.

He could see the chakra get condensed further and further in preparation for a powerful attack. The only sound that reached him was the burning of a large amount of chakra and the screaming, wailing cries of two infants.

Sasuke had never seen Naruto this far into his transformation, it would have been frightening if Sasuke didn't know he had the power to control it – but he did, and that made all the difference.

Sasuke walked forward purposefully, fully intent on ending this entire confrontation quickly.

Naruto, or what little of him still operated consciously in that form, seemed to notice this, because his head snapped back and the ball of chakra fluctuated violently before shrinking again. His entire body flexed and the tails flattened, signalling to Sasuke that Naruto, or the Kyuubi, was bristling for an attack.

Sasuke stopped and put out his flat palm, staring at Naruto with the sharingan, poised to enter his mind.

However, Naruto finally snapped, sending the ball of chakra outwards in a deadly accurate beam of destruction. The water parted on either side with the force of its trajectory and Sasuke could feel the immense heat of it burn away the spray before it ever hit his face.

The beam was only ten feet away from Sasuke when he strengthened his focus and dug in his feet, causing it to halt in midair. Sasuke stepped forward shakily, the force of the attack stronger than he had expected even though he could feel it's strength waning under his control. He pushed the beam back toward it's container, and Naruto cried out as though he were a wounded animal, the Fox's concentrated chakra clearly overwhelming him.

Naruto began to wimper and struggle, his babies still wailing at the top of their little lungs, but Sasuke pushed forward against the force of Naruto's attack; controlling the Kyuubi's chakra with the power of his sharingan and the strength of his will.

His palm finally flattened against Naruto's burning chest, sinking into thick fur and sliding against what seemed to be blood – making Naruto shudder violently. Sasuke looked into his glowing, demonic eyes calmly, and stepped into his mind.

* * *

An intense heat greeted him when he stepped through to the other side, but he forced it back and watched the flames of deadly chakra dance just outside of his reach. His surroundings were ablaze, as if he'd just walked into a burning building with no windows and no fire escapes. There was no smoke, however; nothing to make him feel out of breath or uncomfortable in any way. There was only an incredible heat, which barely touched him now that he was forcing his control upon it.

Sasuke walked purposefully forward, knowing that eventually his path would lead him to the Kyuubi. As he moved, the chakra blaze receded and the ground was left bubbling and steaming as though he was walking atop a primordial soup.

"I suspected that brat would call for the father of his kits…"

Sasuke turned toward the thick, deep voice to his right, and saw a tower of fiery chakra that reached the ceiling of the Kyuubi's dank prison. Sasuke squinted, the brightness hurting his sensitive eyes, and managed to see a dark form held captive within in it, limbs writhing in what seemed to be immense pain, but their was no sound; no screams or wails of torment – just an eerie silence.

_Naruto…_

"He's been trying too hard to thwart me…the ungrateful bitch…"

Sasuke noticed a large, dark form move behind the pillar of fire, immense red eyes glinting at him from the darkness. Sasuke stepped forward calmly and stared up at the Kyuubi as new flames of chakra lit around it and almost bubbled upward.

"Don't lie to me, demon," Sasuke muttered as he stepped forward, pushing back the flames and staring up into a wide array of sharpened teeth, which smiled down at him.

"Oh," the Kyuubi chuckled darkly. "You think I'm _lying_?"

Sasuke remained silent as the Kyuubi continued to chuckle sinisterly, his face completely emotionless, but he listened to the Kyuubi's words intently.

"You think you are in control, but you are my _pawn_," the Kyuubi continued, his long teeth glinting in the fire light as Naruto's form continued to writhe within the pillar of fire. "You and the bitch have fallen into my trap, and it will only be a matter of time before the power within your eyes is mine."

Sasuke frowned, unable to keep the tightness out of his otherwise calm voice, "Impossible."

The Kyuubi laughed maliciously, its eyes glinting knowingly as it looked down upon him. "It was so easy to exploit you when I could taste your lust for the bitch, and it was so easy to make you two lose control – giving me such powerful kits…"

Sasuke stiffened at the implications of the Kyuubi's words, before he plunged forward, sinking his hand into the hot wetness of the Kyuubi's nose and forcing its chakra back. The Kyuubi immediately dissipated into steaming bubbles, its deep laugh still echoing across the cavernous prison walls.

Sasuke stepped back and lowered his hands, frowning as the last bubbles of chakra dissipated in the strangely damp air.

With the Kyuubi restrained, the pillar of fiery chakra gave way and the figure within it fell hard against the wet ground. Sasuke stepped over to the completely naked, fallen form of Naruto.

Sasuke kneeled beside him and noticed the strange burns that covered Naruto's body start to heal quickly. He realized that the Kyuubi might actually be able to hurt Naruto physically from within his soul – or maybe this was just a manifestation of what his real body was going through on the outside.

Naruto let out a small groan, his face against the ground and nearly smothering the sound. Sasuke watched the muscles play on Naruto's lithe back as the boy slowly pushed himself off of the floor shakily, and soon, two blue eyes were staring at him blearily.

Sasuke stared back coldly, trying not to look down at any part of Naruto's nude body except his face, but his heart skipped an odd beat. Naruto crawled forward and Sasuke stiffened when two hands cupped his cheeks, and he was suddenly staring into two very blue eyes and an impossibly wide toothy grin.

"I knew you would do it, Sasuke…you took care of our kits…you _bastard_…"

Sasuke frowned at his choice of words, before Naruto passed out on his lap, his head and shoulders pressing into Sasuke's thighs, arms lying limply on either side – a dumb smile tugging his lips upward, even in his unconscious state.

Sasuke stared down at him, realizing that Naruto had planned for this all along. He had never meant to fight Sasuke. If what Naruto and the Kyuubi had said could be believed, Naruto had taken a calculated risk in letting the Kyuubi out in order to force Sasuke to push the Kyuubi's chakra back. And perhaps, Naruto had guessed that the Kyuubi would not deny what Naruto had been telling him before – because the Kyuubi was prideful, and it would take any chance it had to show that Sasuke, one of the few beings in this world who could control it, had been its pawn.

The situation was highly improbable – almost ridiculous – but Sasuke realized against his better judgement that it was most likely that Naruto had not been lying.

The Kyuubi had told him itself it's motivations, and Sasuke couldn't see it having any reason to lie about it. In all probability, it would have made more sense for the Kyuubi to tell him that he wasn't the father. Thus, forcing Sasuke away from the situation entirely. But Sasuke sensed somehow that the Kyuubi was a prideful demon, and it wouldn't miss the opportunity to let Sasuke know just how little control over the situation he actually had.

There was no unknown girl in Konoha, because impregnating a girl without the sharingan would not have fulfilled the Kyuubi's ultimate goal; a goal it must have concocted after coming into contact with Sasuke's sharingan in that confrontation with Naruto those many years ago.

It had only been a little over five months since he had last seen Naruto, barely enough time to birth human babies, although he knew that Fox demons were, at least in the mythology that every academy student had learned back in Konoha, able to have offspring in half the time humans took to have theirs. Sasuke didn't know much about child development, but he knew that the babies did not look like newborns either. In fact, they seemed to look a little over two months old. Thus, Sasuke could only conclude that somehow the babies were aging faster, due to the Kyuubi's influence.

Sasuke could no longer deny what was truly going on. That the Kyuubi really must have been playing with them both, and it was all in order to create babies the Kyuubi could control, who had the blood of the Uchiha clan running through their veins. Thus, enabling the Kyuubi itself to overcome the one thing in this world that could control it…and possibly allowing the Kyuubi a way out of its prison.

Parts of _that _night flit across his racing mind, unbidden.

Naruto's chakra had been red, his eyes had bled into burgundy, and his canines had lengthened unnaturally, chewing over his bottom lip as Sasuke had entered him. Growling and nipping at Sasuke's skin; scratching down his pale back with unnaturally long nails…

The Kyuubi had been controlling Naruto that night, and Sasuke suddenly had to wonder if Naruto had known what he was doing…

If he had _wanted _it….as much as…

No, it was clear now that Naruto had not acted on his own volition. It had not been his choice.

Sasuke closed his eyes and rubbed them, pushing the thoughts away along with that dull throbbing ache that had only recently taken residence in his once numb chest.

He became very calm, his gaze sliding down to the mop of blond hair in his lap and tracing the nude bronze shoulders and arms that covered and surrounded his thighs, with an air of forced detachedness.

He had played right into the Kyuubi's trap. It had known his weaknesses and had exploited them – weaknesses he had denied ever having before crumbling to them on that night.

The Kyuubi had used him to create babies who could eventually be his undoing.

Infants who carried his blood in their veins, and the Kyuubi's powerful chakra in their bellies.

Maybe it would be best to kill them, before they could gain the sharingan and be used by the Kyuubi against their will. That way, there would be no way the Kyuubi's plan could go ahead.

_But they're your babies…_

Sasuke shook his head as a well of strange emotions settled in his chest; he thought he could detect anger and fear, but he tried not to analyze anything deeper beneath that.

He recognized, however, that even though it would probably be the easiest way to be rid of the situation, Sasuke simply didn't have the will to bring it to fruition. He did not kill infants. He wasn't Itachi, and he never would be.

He would never become like _that man_.

Sasuke knew that there was only one choice he could make, because it was the only choice he was comfortable making now that he knew the heavy truth.

He would have to deal with this…new development first, before he could deal with Itachi. He would keep the babies near him, and he already knew that Naruto would object to staying apart from them and fight hard to keep them by his side. So he would have to travel with Sasuke as well. He would control the Kyuubi until the babies were old enough to control their sharingan and the new seals that he would place upon them. Like he had learned to control his own curse seal, he would teach the children control over Kyuubi's influence.

He also knew that Itachi, who had been elusive for quite some time, would be tempted to confront Sasuke if Naruto was with him. After all, Akatsuki was still after the ninth and most powerful bijuu. In the end, it could be just want Sasuke needed to finally track him down and end it.

Sasuke denied that this new course of action had anything to do with the new emotions he felt welling under the surface. After all, emotional and physical attachments were the reasons why he had become vulnerable to the Kyuubi's machinizations in the first place.

No, he would remain detached from the situation. He would do what needed to be done with the babies, and trap the Kyuubi forever.

And then, he would finally have his long-awaited vengeance.

* * *

Sakura and everyone else stared at Sasuke and Naruto who had been deathly still ever since Sasuke had placed his palm against Naruto's chest several minutes ago. Everyone watching had been strangely still and silent once the two began to stand together in this way, as if trapped in time. She had tensed when a man, who must have been another one of Sasuke's new team members, had formed out of the water very near the tall nin she didn't know, but he didn't do anything but stand there, leaning on his huge sword and staring at the spectacle like everyone else.

Only moments ago, Naruto's red chakra had receded, allowing his human form to once again take shape before their eyes – although now his skin was caked in his own blood. Even the babies were silent now, unconscious within their harnesses.

Sakura nearly cringed as globs of Naruto's freely flowing blood ran down his limbs, soaking into his battered clothes and falling into the water at his feet to dissipate. He didn't seem to be in any pain, however. His expression was completely blank and relaxed as if he was unconscious. Although his eyes were still open, staring into Sasuke's as if suspended there against his will.

She supposed this was the power Sasuke had that Naruto had spoken of – his strange ability to control the Kyuubi. Although she was worried about Naruto's considerable blood loss. She itched to go to him, but, somehow, she knew that would be a bad idea while the two were suspended in that state.

Suddenly, Sasuke twitched and closed his eyes, breaking the ethereal connection he had made with Naruto and letting Naruto's eyes close and head fall forward, completely limp. Naruto's feet sunk beneath the water shortly after that, his chakra control apparently dissipated, but Sasuke moved to wrap one of Naruto's arms around his shoulders to hold him up. Sakura let out a small breath at the gesture, and she was surprised as her vision became a little blurry with unshed tears. She tried not to smile so broadly, as the overwhelming emotions of relief and gratefulness welled up inside her. Sasuke had obviously become more agreeable since the beginning of the confrontation.

Naruto's risk, must have paid off.

"What's going on Sasuke-kun?" The woman who had claimed herself to be Sasuke's lover had asked this in a strangely wobbly voice, her expression one of confusion and dismay as she looked between Sasuke and Naruto.

"We're leaving," Sasuke replied, his voice just as certain as it had always sounded.

Sakura stepped forward in alarm, but he continued. "And we're taking him and his babies with us."

"_What?_" The woman was barely able to keep the tone of shock out of her voice.

Sasuke only stared at her, his expression cold and determined. The nin with the sword and the large nin both glanced at each other, but didn't say anything – although the latter was smiling strangely, as though he knew a secret. The kunoichi backed down, not speaking after that, although she looked displeased with the situation. Clearly, Sasuke had gained much authority within his new team; his opinion obviously held a lot of weight, and it wasn't hard for him to give out orders.

But Sakura wasn't going to let him have his way completely. Gone were the days when she, blinded by her naïve love for him, had practically grovelled at his feet. That, above all, was probably why she was so disgusted with the kunoichi member of his new team. She was a more extreme version of the way Sakura had been when she had grown up in Team 7; back when she hadn't been able to do anything but idolize a clearly broken and emotionally tormented boy – a boy she hadn't been able to understand at all, and thus, a boy she couldn't save. No, she wasn't like that anymore, and she never would be again.

Sakura stepped forward. Sasuke's gaze switched to her and she stared back. "We're coming with you, too. We're not going to leave Naruto and his babies."

He stared at her and then shifted his gaze to the Kiba, Hinata, Yamato, and Kakashi, clearly thinking it over, before replying succinctly. "Very well."

She was a bit surprised by his acceptance of her terms, but she didn't say anything as Sasuke began to walk out of the rice paddies, an unconscious Naruto and babies supported at his side.

She wondered what was going through Sasuke's mind at that moment, but he remained a conundrum. She could only hope he had gained some perspective on the situation after Naruto's gamble with the Kyuubi. She still didn't know what he knew, what Naruto had told him, and what Sasuke was planning now. She still wondered apprehensively if he was a threat. Even though she had dreamed of being by his side ever since he had left, she found it harder and harder to trust him as the years went by.

Sakura shared a look with Kakashi as he fell in step beside her, the others, including Sasuke's team and her's trailing behind them.

The irritating kunoichi was still obviously fighting to keep a scowl off of her face as the strange nin with the sword shot her oddly amused glances.

Kiba was looking around at them uncomfortably, Akamaru whimpering slightly at his side. Hinata walked stiffly beside them, her expression worried, but she managed a small encouraging smile when she noticed Sakura watching her.

"Worried?" Kakashi muttered, looking straight ahead as they walked.

"Shouldn't I be?" Sakura whipped her head forward and murmured back, frowning as Sasuke lead them through a large forest at the base of the mountain.

"Probably," Kakashi replied unhelpfully. "But I think it would be good to remind you that Naruto is a shinobi of Konoha above anything else – he can take care of himself."

Sakura stared at him for a moment, before nodding slightly. "I know."

But she couldn't keep the image of Naruto lying gutted on the floor of that rotted shack in snow country. She couldn't forget the fear she had felt, and how near death he had really been. No matter what she knew Naruto was capable of, she would always be worried.

It hurt her to see him hurt, because she cared for him deeply. So if Sasuke was somehow duplicitous in his motives, if he ended up hurting Naruto or his babies in any way, then she would personally pound him into the ground herself.

Sharingan be damned.

* * *

AN: OMG…this chapter was difficult to write. I had to rewrite sections of this chapter many, many times before I was even mildly content with the results. That's why it took longer than I'd expected to get it written. Sorry guys.

Well, I hope this chapter didn't disappoint, even though I still have some vague misgivings about it.

Time-skip!Sasuke is a bitch to write…end of story… haha.

Thanks so much for all the encouraging and thoughtful reviews for that last chapter…I really, really hope this chapter wasn't a total downer…


	10. Family Matters

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any of this friends.

AN: thank you all, once again, for your wonderful reviews on the last chapter. They really made me feel good after I'd felt so crappy writing it. Haha.

* * *

Chapter 9: Family Matters

"Sasuke-kun, why are we _here_? I thought you wanted to find your brother…"

"This comes first…Itachi will come to us."

Naruto opened his eyes blearily, searching through the darkness around him. There was barely enough light coming through a window to his left in order to see that he was in a dark room. Although the sliver of light coming through a crack beneath the window shades and flickering across the dark blue floor was bright orange like fire. Naruto turned his head, looking toward the light that stung his sleep sensitive eyes.

He heard voices, and the sound of a crackling fire drift in from outside.

"You alright, Naruto?"

Naruto nearly jumped when he realized Sakura was sitting right next to him, part of her face illuminated in the firelight from outside, while the rest of her form faded back into the darkness. She looked worried, although a small smile lit up her face.

"Yeah," he croaked, realizing he must not have used his voice in a while. He tried to sit up but Sakura held him back, her hand pushing gently upon his bare chest.

"You shouldn't get up just yet," she murmered. "You're not fully healed."

"What happened?" Naruto asked, looking around for his kits as he lowered his head back onto a pillow of some sort.

He finally saw them a little behind Sakura, bundled up in separate blankets and sleeping.

"You don't remember?" Sakura replied, pushing pink locks out of her eyes.

"I…" Naruto thought about the past day and suddenly everything came rushing back to his sleep-fogged mind. He'd almost thought it had been a dream. "Sasuke…where's Sasuke?"

"He's here," Sakura replied, nodding her head toward the window in emphasis.

Naruto turned his head and listened, now able to understand the voices; one standing out in particular.

"…stay with them until they grow older."

"So, what's with this guy and those babies anyway?"

Pause.

"Do you _know _him from before?"

"We were…acquaintances."

The other, unfamiliar voice snickered. "Uh huh, so you're staying for _him_?"

His tone was strangely suggestive, and Naruto's heart skipped a beat – waiting for Sasuke's answer with oddly bated breath.

"No."

Naruto frowned, and a dull ache filled his chest at the swiftness at which Sasuke had answered and the coldness of his tone. Although, somehow, he had expected it.

He stopped listening as a woman's voice joined the conversation, and turned his head toward the ceiling, taking in the dark wood panels of another house that Yamato had probably built for the night.

He supposed his risk had paid off; he'd convinced Sasuke to protect his kits, but he still felt strangely hollow about it.

Sasuke wasn't doing this for him – or even for the kits, necessarily. As Naruto had expected, the Fox had probably told him about its plan, and as Naruto had suspected, Sasuke hadn't been able to walk away from the threat. Once again, Sasuke was doing it to protect himself.

Naruto hadn't wanted it to come to that. He'd wanted Sasuke to protect the kits – to stay with Naruto – because he'd wanted to…because he'd cared about them. But Sasuke had walked away from that, had refused it, and Naruto had had no other choice.

Well, it could have been worse…Naruto let out a long breath.

Sasuke could have chosen not to protect his kits at all…or kill them…

Naruto shook his head slightly and closed his still-tired eyes. No, Sasuke would never do that. Naruto knew. Sasuke was many things, but he wasn't a bad person. He could never kill anyone in cold blood.

"Naruto…"

Naruto opened his eyes and looked up at Sakura, who was leaning over him. He blinked when she leant down and kissed him on the forehead.

She leant back and she must have seen the questioning look in his eyes, because she smiled fondly down at him. He'd never seen her look at him like that before; and suddenly he wondered if this was what having a mother was like.

"You know I'll take care of you, right?"

The question put him a little off-guard. She was acting strange. "You don't have to take care of me, Sakura-chan."

"I know," She replied, her voice strangely low as she hovered over him, her warm hand a comforting weight on his bare shoulder. "You're strong, a lot stronger than me – but I just wanted you to know…I would die to protect you and your babies, Naruto."

Naruto barely registered her words, before she squeezed his shoulder and got up, walking toward the door to his room and opening it. He could barely see her silhouetted in its threshold.

"Go back to sleep." And then she slid the shoji door closed behind her.

Naruto stared back at the ceiling, as the force of her declaration washed over him. Soon, his eyes felt too heavy to keep open, and the lines of the wood panelled ceiling were replaced by the darkness behind his eyelids. One last thought floated through his mind, before he surrendered to slumber.

_Thank you, Sakura_.

* * *

"_No_, I'm not going out for sake with you."

Jiraiya looked sincerely saddened by her words, but then again, he was an exceptional liar. She wouldn't put his pout passed anything – and somehow she knew that was one bet she wouldn't lose.

"Oh, but Tsunade-hime," he cajoled, a stupid grin on his face. "You always seem to have so much fun!"

"No, _you _have fun," Tsunade retorted, rubbing her temples in annoyance. "You enjoy seeing me shit-faced, and then carrying me back to this gods-forsaken office where you leave me to rot!"

He pouted at her. "You're no fun. Besides, I don't force you to get drunk. You do that all on your own."

"Look," Tsunade stood up and leaned over her desk, nearly pushing a large stack of unread documents off with her large breasts, and completely irritated that she was talking to Jiraiya about such inane things when it was already dark outside and she just wanted to go home so she could pass out. She had had a _very _long day. "What do you have to tell me?"

"Fine," Jiraiya's expression turned serious. He could clearly read when she was too agitated to see the amusement in his usual antics. "I have information on Akatsuki's whereabouts."

Tsunade perked up at this. Now they were getting somewhere.

"Do tell."

* * *

"Ow."

Naruto woke up to the uncomfortable feeling of something poking him in the eye. He rubbed it vigorously, and opened his other to see two very blue eyes staring back at him. He jumped at the close proximity, but his vision eventually focused enough so that he could recognize the owner of those eyes, who was now giggling madly as she watched him.

He deflected another poke that seemed to be aimed at his nostril. "Mikomi…what're you doing here?"

He sat up as she just continued to giggle and clap her hands, apparently highly amused with herself. He looked across the now sunlit room blearily to see a noticeably black-eyed Sasuke-chan sitting primly upon a pile of blankets and staring at him; right where Naruto had seen them sleeping when he woke up during the night. He looked at the space between Sasuke-chan and Mikomi.

"How'd you get over here?" He muttered as she poked him in his thigh, giggling again. Of course she wouldn't answer. She couldn't talk…yet.

Could she have crawled? Naruto suddenly felt a thrill of excitement. "Did you crawl, Mikomi-chan?"

Mikomi just clapped her hands together, blathering unintelligably. Naruto stood up and went over to Sasuke-chan, sitting next to him and staring back at Mikomi. Naruto held out his arms toward her as she just sat where he'd left her, smiling at him. "Come on, Mikomi. Come to daddy!"

She looked at him and giggled, before she rolled forward, her hands on the ground, and shuffled toward him.

When she finally reached him, he pulled her into a huge hug. He couldn't believe how amazing it was to see her crawl. He'd never felt this elated ever, and that was saying something because, despite the occasional tragedies, he'd had some pretty happy experiences in his life.

Without really thinking, Naruto scooped Sasuke-chan up as well and ran out of the room.

"Sakura! You guys! You won't believe…!"

Naruto ran through a short hallway and stopped abruptly. Nine pairs of eyes were staring back at him. Including Sasuke's.

Naruto locked gazes with him, suddenly feeling out of breath.

That's right, Sasuke was there…with them. Naruto glanced around and noticed Sasuke's unfamiliar team members along with the familiar faces of Sakura, Kiba, Hinata, Kakashi, and Yamato. They were all sitting around a large wooden table, eating what looked to be breakfast.

Naruto's mouth suddenly felt incredibly dry as the kits squirmed in his grip. He felt unexpectedly naked in front of those eyes, and he wished he had thought of putting on a shirt before he'd left his room.

"What is it, Naruto? What happened?"

Naruto's gaze swivelled to Sakura as she looked up at him questioningly.

"Uh…" he started lamely, trying not to look at anyone else, especially Sasuke as he fought to get his brain back on track. "It's Mikomi…she crawled."

"Really?" This time it was Hinata who had spoken, and she looked genuinely surprised and pleased.

"Yeah," Naruto nodded, suddenly feeling high for some reason. Like he couldn't get his brain to function properly as his skin tingled where he knew Sasuke was watching him. "She was poking me in the eye, when I woke up."

He knew that that didn't really make any sense, but he stopped talking anyway. It felt strangely hard to talk at all, which was a first for him.

"She was poking you in the eye?" Kiba asked, chuckling, although it sounded a little unnatural, as though it was forced. Naruto realized that the tense atmosphere must have been getting to him too.

"Yeah," Naruto replied. "And giggling."

"Congratulations!" Hinata said sweetly as Mikomi giggled and clapped her hands from within his grip. The kit seemed to know the commotion was about her, and she rellished in it.

"You should sit down and eat," Sakura stated, smiling at him reassuringly.

Naruto nodded, grateful for the interruption and sat down before his legs gave out, which would have been oddly embarrassing. He ended up sitting on the only cushion available, right across from Sasuke.

"These are Sasuke's team members," Sakura began, gesturing toward the shinobi at the end of the table. She pointed at the pale shinobi next to Sasuke, who was currently picking his sharp teeth with a senbon, "he's Suigetsu of the Mist."

He nodded and smirked at Naruto, "yo."

Naruto nodded. He didn't know how he felt about these strange shinobi Sasuke had decided to spend his time with for all these months in place of going back to Konoha and joining his old team. So he didn't smile back.

"And this is _Karin_," Sakura continued dryly, pointing to a red-haired kunoichi with horn-rimmed glasses who looked highly put out. Sakura glared at the girl, who didn't even acknowledge her or Naruto's existence as she picked at her food with her chopsticks.

"And this is Juugo," Sakura finished, gesturing toward a tall nin, sitting at the end of the table. He nodded back shyly and didn't say anything.

"So," Suigetsu began, looking at Naruto. "You that Jinchuriki Itachi and Kisame are after?"

"Yeah," Naruto replied, a frown on his face, wondering where the oddly pale shinobi was going with this. Usually, whenever someone said he was a jinchuriki, it didn't lead to anything good.

"You're the last one they have to catch, aren't you?" Suigetsu continued, apparently oblivious to Naruto's discomfort or just not caring. "So, if we stick with you, Itachi and Kisame should show up soon, yeah?"

Naruto frowned, realizing that this was true. In all the chaos in his recent life, he had nearly forgotten about Akatsuki and the price on his head. "I guess so."

"Good," Suigetsu nodded and stretched, fiddling with the hilt of the large sword on his back. "We haven't been able to find them, and it's starting to become a real pain. Kisame owes me his sword."

"So, that's why you're traveling with Sasuke?" Sakura asked, putting her tea cup down and watching Suigetsu for his answer with interest.

"Yeah," Suigetsu answered with a smirk. "I collect swords from the seven swordsmen of the mist. This one," he tapped the hilt of the sword on his back. "Is Zabuza's. I took it from his grave."

"Zabuza?" Naruto asked, and he shared a look with Sakura.

"Yeah, you know him?" Suigetsu asked casually.

"Yeah," Naruto muttered. "He died at the end of our first mission as Team 7."

"Ah!" Suigetsu's eyes widened. "So you're the _Great Naruto_, from that bridge, yeah? What'd you do? Kill Zabuza?"

"No," Naruto replied, remembering the end of that mission and how painful it had been. "He sacrificed himself."

"Heh, really?" Suigetsu quipped. "I wouldn'ta guessed."

"You didn't tell me about that when we were there, Sasuke," Suigetsu stated slyly, shooting Sasuke a meaningful look, which Naruto didn't understand, but Sasuke didn't react to it one way or another.

The table was silent after that, but Naruto tried not to look at Sasuke or the shinobi named Suigetsu beside him who continued to smirk at him and Sasuke. Suigetsu was definitely a strange one.

Naruto also noticed that the kunoichi named Karin was glaring at him, which irked him, but he did his best to ignore it.

Naruto finally placed the kits on either side of him. Sasuke-chan sat up, just tall enough to stare across the table, and Mikomi crawled into Naruto's lap, before he could stop her.

Naruto saw Kakashi start reading his porn from the corner of his eye, completely ignoring the strange tension in the room. For the first time, Naruto wanted to have porn to read as well. At least that would be a good distraction, even though he found most of it – at least Jiraiya's – really boring.

"It's nice to see the babies' eyes are back to normal," Hinata commented, breaking the awkward silence and glancing at Sasuke shyly. Sasuke didn't comment, and Hinata looked away after a while, looking slightly flustered and embarrassed that she had even broached the subject.

"Yeah," Naruto replied, his mouth dry, as he avoided Sasuke's stare. "I'm glad they could go back to normal."

"Here are some bottles for the babies," Sakura stated as she held out a pair of baby bottles filled with formula to him. "They were just heated moments ago, so they should still be warm."

"Thanks," Naruto muttered, and took them, immediately pulling Sasuke-chan toward him and shoving the rubber tip of a formula bottle into the kit's mouth.

The kit began to suck at it avidly, which was odd. He seemed strangely calm, or maybe he was on edge, because he barely protested the bottle like he usually did and he kept on staring across the table distractedly as formula dribbled down his chin.

"So," Hinata began into the silence. "when do you think Sasuke will learn how to crawl?"

The original Sasuke's gaze slid toward her as Kiba began to laugh. Naruto would have laughed too if he wasn't so tense. Thinking about Sasuke learning to crawl would have been pretty funny if he was in his normal state of mind.

"I-I meant," Hinata began, her face turning red. "the baby, when will baby Sasuke learn how to crawl?"

"_What?_" Karin snapped, the first time Naruto had heard her speak in person. "One of those _infants_ is named Sasuke?"

She said it as though it was a bad thing; something that left a bad taste in her mouth, and Naruto frowned at her. For some reason, he really didn't like her, and he wondered why Sasuke would ever select someone like her for his team.

"Yeah," Naruto replied, when no one else did, his tone confrontational. Although Sakura had looked about to retort, before he spoke, and she was now glaring across at the girl. "He's named after his…" Naruto finally looked over at Sasuke, not wanting to miss his reaction. It seemed as though Sasuke hadn't told his team members everything, which bothered Naruto. Sasuke's expression remained emotionless, however, not moving to encourage or stop him. "father."

Karin gaped at him for a few moments, before she shrieked, "_liar!_" and pointed at him as if he was some sort of imposter.

"Karin." Sasuke spoke for the first time, his tone firm.

She looked wilted, but she didn't stop talking, her voice sickeningly sweet as she carried on. "Sasuke-_kun_, how can you let him lie about you like this? I know you, a man like you would never impregnate some random _woman_!"

"Well, you've got that right," Sakura muttered under her breath, although just loud enough for Karin to hear.

"_What?_" Karin barked, glaring at Sakura.

Naruto realized that Sasuke hadn't told his team mates anything, as though he was ashamed of it. Or maybe he just couldn't be bothered with the explanations. Naruto stared at Sasuke across the table, who was now looking mildly irritated with his kunoichi team mate's antics. Naruto frowned, feeling awkward and frustrated.

_Stupid bastard_…

"I said you've got that right," Sakura repeated herself in a louder voice.

"What're you talking about, _whore_?" Karin practically screeched, her expression looking disturbingly manic.

"_Kami_ Karin, you're so loud," Suigetsu interrupted, his voice lazy as he rubbed his temples. "Just calm down, it's obvious Sasuke didn't boink some woman."

"Then _why _is everyone saying he has _babies_?" She spat, turning on him.

"Because he boinked a _guy_ who happens to be possessed by a hermaphroditic demon," Suigetsu replied matter of factly, as though it was the most obvious thing in the world.

She punched him so quickly, it was impossible to see her swing, but his head turned into liquid and splashed onto Sasuke's shirt and pants, which left Sasuke staring coldly at Karin, as everyone else on the table stared at the situation in fascination.

"Did that guy's head just turn into water?" Kiba asked, completely flummoxed. "Does this happen _often_?"

"A little _too _often," Suigetsu replied and glared at Karin as his head reformed into seemingly solid matter.

"That's what happens when you lie," Karin shot back, crossing her arms and looking down her nose at him.

"I was telling the truth," Suigetsu stated, rubbing a finger in his newly formed ear and frowning at her.

Karin laughed, but it didn't sound like she was amused. "Yeah _right_. That's impossible."

"Whatever." Suigetsu sighed and glanced at Naruto. "I tried."

Naruto only glared at Sasuke, who was now looking back at him dispassionately. So it was true. Sasuke was only here to make sure the kits didn't lose control and become more powerful than him. He had no intention of claiming them as his own, and he had no intention of telling anyone else the truth. He just didn't think it was important, and his own team mates had to figure it out on their own.

Naruto didn't know why this bothered him so much. Or, he did, but he thought he'd prepared for it. Apparently it hadn't been enough. With Sasuke, no amount of preparation was ever enough.

He'd searched for Sasuke for years, only to be disappointed time and time again. Each time he'd told himself he would be successful the next time – just one more time, and Sasuke would come back with him. But even now, when Sasuke was right there, sitting across from him in a situation other than battle, he felt farther away from the boy than he'd ever felt in his life. It took this to make Naruto realize how unreachable Sasuke really was – especially after they'd been so close, for just one night.

Naruto looked away, and realized with some alarm that Mikomi was no longer on his lap.

Suddenly, he heard a giggle from across the table and he saw her little sun-flower capped head poke out above the table surface, right over Sasuke's lap.

Naruto watched as Sasuke realized she was there and stared down at her. She giggled again, drawing the attention of everyone at the table. Even Kakashi had lowered his book in interest.

They all watched as Sasuke stared down at Mikomi and Mikomi stared up at him, before she tottered forward and reached up a hand toward his face, grabbing onto one black bang and tugging it. Sasuke actually winced a bit as she giggled, but he didn't swat her hand away. He only looked down at her, expression softening almost imperceptively, but Naruto noticed, even if no one else did.

She grabbed onto another one of his long bangs and tugged that one as well, giggling profusely and babbling, as if she was trying to tell him something important about her newfound toys. She tugged a bit hard after that and Sasuke carefully pulled her hands off of his hair. She toppled against him now that she didn't have any support for her upper body.

He seemed uncertain about what to do with his arms as she curled up on his lap, one of her tiny, fisted hands pressed against his stomach. He finally lowered his arms when she seemed to have settled herself, cradling her slightly as she promptly fell asleep.

"Just like Sasuke," Kiba quipped into the silence. "Girls falling all over him."

Everyone at the table showed some sign of amusement at this except for Karin, who was currently glaring bloody murder at the baby in Sasuke's lap as though Mikomi was some sort of fungus.

Naruto had only smiled dazedly at the scene. Sasuke looked up a moment after that, catching Naruto's eye, his expression still soft – and Naruto felt his heart hammering in his chest at that look. Naruto stared a moment, before smiling wider, but then Sasuke seemed to snap out of his strange state, and soon his expression was neatly closed off and disinterested once again. As if it had never been anything else.

Naruto looked away, but he couldn't help feeling oddly cheerful. Sasuke tried to hide it, but he knew. Naruto knew how Sasuke felt about the kits. It was written all over his face. He cared for them. He barely knew them, but he felt something for them, and now Naruto was determined to force Sasuke to stop denying it. For whatever reason, he was pretending not to feel anything. He was pushing Naruto away, but now Naruto knew, he was lying to himself and everyone else.

It wasn't just about the Fox, it wasn't just about saving himself. Sasuke cared for his kits now that he knew the truth.

Naruto suddenly smiled to himself as he watched Mikomi sleep on an apathetic Sasuke's lap.

Sasuke was emotionally attached, and now Naruto knew exactly how to get him to admit to it.

* * *

Sasuke ate his trout sashimi in small, precise bites, trying to ignore the warm weight of the baby girl on his lap and failing miserably. He'd masked his reaction to her, but he knew that Naruto had noticed the new emotions flickering across Sasuke's expression before he could hide it.

The baby's, Mikomi's, hand was currently tugging at the low cross collar of his black shirt, but she remained sleeping – her mouth open slightly as a line of spittle dripped out and landed on his pants. He was uncomfortable with this, because he rarely got anything on his clothes, even blood. He had always been strangely preoccupied with cleanliness, ever since he had been small. Yet, for some reason, he didn't feel as irritated as he should have that a baby was drooling on his outfit.

In fact, he had actually thought it was…_cute_.

That was definitely a word that described her; a word he had never used to describe anyone in his life. With her big blue eyes, wispy bright blond hair, whisker marks and easy smile; and even the way she tugged at his hair in a manner that could be considered painful. She was _cute_.

And _that _was dangerous.

The emotions that he felt when he looked at her were dangerous.

But he couldn't very well show that it bothered him, for her to be so close to him – and Naruto hadn't done anything to stop it.

Naruto had seen how he'd reacted. It was Naruto's smile that made Sasuke aware of just how dangerously open he had become in such a short time.

He could still see Naruto from the corner of his eye watching him with a strange expression.

Sasuke couldn't let Naruto know how he was effected. He had to keep his distance. He couldn't afford to slip up again.

"So, Sasuke…"

Sasuke looked up to see Kakashi staring at him above his lowered porn novel.

"I suppose you'll be sharing the room with Naruto now that you're here to protect your babies."

"No," Sasuke replied quickly, as all eyes turned to him. "That won't be necessary."

He glanced at Naruto, who was glaring at him, looking openly hurt. He had never been good at hiding his emotions; not like Sasuke. Sasuke noticed, however, that Karin looked particularly pleased by his answer and he felt a twinge of irritation.

"Oh?" Kakashi asked, a disturbingly knowing lilt to his voice as he observed Sasuke openly; analyzing him. Sasuke recognized that look from when Kakashi had been training him before the Chuunin exam. He couldn't ignore the fact that Kakashi was a genius, and he was sizing Sasuke up.

"The Kyuubi won't be able to come out for some time," Sasuke replied evenly. "It will be a few more days, before I have to force it's chakra back once again. The babies will be safe until then."

Naruto suddenly stood up from the table, holding Sasuke's namesake in his arms. He didn't try to hide the anger and hurt from his voice as he muttered, "I never thought you were such a _coward_, Sasuke."

Blazing blue eyes held Sasuke's for a moment before Naruto walked away down the hall, and slammed the shoji door behind him.

"You sure have a way with lovers, boss," Suigetsu quipped sarcastically, and Sasuke and Karin glared at him.

However, Suigetsu's grin barely twitched at the onslaught, still looking quite pleased with himself.

Sasuke got up, rudely waking the baby girl and pulling her off of his lap, before handing her to Hinata before he walked out the front door.

The moment he was outside, he heard a baby wailing loudly, and he fought the strange, illogical instinct to run back inside.

There was only one thing for it. He needed to train.

Hard.

* * *

AN: Well, I was going to wait and put this up on Thanksgiving, but I have absolutely no patience whatsoever. I can't just sit on something once I've written it…it bothers me.

So here you guys go. An update only three days after the last one. Yippee for you.

I am retarded. Le sigh…


	11. Of Weakness and Strength

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. Kishimoto-sensei does.

AN: Thank you all once again for the great reviews on that last chapter. It seems the more I hate a chapter the more readers seem to like it. So, huzzah for that!

* * *

Chapter 10: Of Weakness and Strength

Naruto heard the front door slide open and closed, and he looked out his window just in time to see Sasuke walking away from the house and into the woods. Naruto clenched his fists and grimaced.

He wondered why it always had to be so hard to deal with him; why Sasuke always had to make any sort of relationship – whether it be friendship…or something more – difficult. It was like he could never let anyone in. Even when he had been on Team 7, Naruto hadn't ever truly known who he was. He hadn't even learned about the tragic slaughter of Sasuke's family until after Sasuke had left him at the Valley of the End.

At first, when they had been placed into the same team, Naruto had hated and envied Sasuke at the same time. He had known since he was very young that Sasuke was a genius, that his skills were unmatched in the academy, and he'd become jealous, but that had only made him work harder. And after a while, Naruto had come to realize that out of all the people he'd wanted to notice him, he'd wanted Sasuke's acknowledgment the most.

But Sasuke had always put him down – dismissing him more than anyone else – and thus, his attitude frustrated Naruto more than anyone else ever could have. Sasuke had been good at what he did, and he knew it, and Naruto knew it – and it had been terrible to know that Naruto just wasn't as good. Naruto had known that he wasn't as brave or skilled, but where that might have made someone else give up hope, it had only spurred Naruto on.

He hadn't been able to let that be the last word. He'd needed Sasuke to understand that he was strong, brave, and skilled too. He'd needed Sasuke to _see_ him – because otherwise, he'd feel invisible.

And every mission they took, Naruto would use as a way to prove to Sasuke that he was just as good as him, if not better. And soon, it stopped being about gaining acknowledgment from everyone and it started being about gaining acknowledgment from someone. The only one who would never give him what he wanted – what he needed.

And somewhere in that time, Naruto realized that Sasuke's opinion of him could hurt or heal him in more ways than Sakura's or Kakashi's or even Iruka's opinions ever could. And it was in those moments, that Naruto had realized Sasuke was more precious to him than anyone else ever was and ever could be.

Even when Sasuke was distant, even when he was cold, Naruto had known that there was something there – and it ran deeper than anything else he had been a part of in his short life. There was a connection that bound them together; something that was most plain in their most desperate times; when Sasuke had nearly died to protect Naruto, when Naruto had risked his life to protect Sasuke and Sakura from Gaara, when Sasuke had called him his best friend, and when Sasuke had left him alive but unconscious in the rain.

And then Naruto had trained and searched for years, because he'd believed there was a bond worth saving – a bond that would never break. Even though Sasuke had denied its existence, and even when Naruto had had his doubts – in the end, Naruto had known that it was there and that if he just tried hard enough Sasuke would see it too.

And then there was that night, when for a moment, Sasuke had let down his walls and had let Naruto in. When the bond Naruto had thought they'd had became markedly deeper. And in those moments, under the moonlight of that night, Naruto had wondered if this was what love felt like. And he was afraid of it. He'd been afraid – that it couldn't be real, that it wouldn't last, that he was the only one who felt it.

And then he had been alone again.

And now Naruto had to wonder, closing his eyes and grimacing as morning sunlight streamed into his room, if Sasuke was ashamed of it.

If he thought it had been a mistake.

If he truly didn't feel the same way.

It was the nagging doubt that filled Naruto's mind constantly, that made him hesitate.

But he knew what he saw at breakfast. Sasuke's expression had changed as he'd looked at Mikomi, and Sasuke had given him a glimpse of that same look, before he'd wiped it away.

No, there was something there – something that Sasuke was hiding.

He was tired of dancing around the issue, he was tired of being so uncharacteristically cautious – tiptoeing around Sasuke like some love-struck kunoichi.

He was going to force everything out into the open, whether Sasuke liked it or not.

* * *

"I think it was a little too early to bring that up, Kakashi-sensei," Sakura began after Sasuke left, sending Kakashi a dry look.

"Oh?" Kakashi barely looked up at her, his face once again buried in his book.

Yamato got up, reminding her that he was still there. He had been so quiet during the entire meal. "I'm going to check the perimeter and see if any messages have been sent from Konoha."

Kakashi nodded at him, before he left.

"You should have known it would make things uncomfortable," Sakura continued with a frown, when the front door slid closed. "I mean, _seriously_, sleeping together in the same room? They could barely even look at each other from across the table."

"Ah, don't worry," Suigetsu interrupted, stretching his arms up lazily behind his head. "Sasuke's a pervert too. I'm sure he'd love to sleep with that Naruto guy."

Everyone at the table stared at him, except for Karin who seemed to be shaking with rage – it was a wonder she was able to hold herself back from physically maiming the pale nin beside her.

"Sasuke? A _pervert_?" Kiba laughed. "Man, there's a joke."

"Whatever," Suigetsu looked at Kiba and rolled his eyes, producing a thermos from under the table and sticking a straw in it. "You haven't seen what I've seen."

"What _have_ you seen?" Sakura asked, curious despite her self.

"Sasuke masturbating in a bath house," Suigetsu answered matter-of-factly, as though he was talking about the weather. "And moaning that guy's name."

"_WHAT?!_" Karin practically exploded off of her seat cushion, standing rigidly and glaring down at Suigetsu with pure hatred in her eyes.

"Hinata?"

Everyone's attention swivelled to Naruto who had just emerged from the hallway, holding Sasuke-chan in one arm. He looked strangely determined, and he seemed to barely have noticed the tense scene playing out before him as Karin stood still in a comical fashion, her fist raised as if about to strike a bored looking Suigetsu sitting beside her.

Sakura had to close her mouth, which had literally dropped open at what Suigetsu had said. Just when she thought nothing would surprise her anymore…

"Yes?" Hinata replied into the strange silence, watching Naruto curiously, as Mikomi slept soundly in her arms.

He walked forward purposefully. "Could you take care of Sasuke-chan for a while? I need to go out."

"Sure, Naruto-kun," Hinata replied, handing Mikomi's curled up form to an awkward Kiba before taking Sasuke-chan and bouncing him slightly on her lap. Sasuke-chan seemed to be used to her, because he didn't protest as she handled him. He only looked slightly put-out as he left Naruto's arms.

"Thanks." Naruto nodded and then slid the front door open.

"Where are you going?" Sakura asked, just before he stepped over the threshold.

He looked back over his shoulder, zipping up his black and orange jacket over the mesh shirt beneath, and murmured, "to spar."

And then he left, the shoji door slid shut behind him.

Sakura's gaze slid back to Suigetsu. "Did you really see Sasuke…?"

Her voice trailed off, unable to finish the sentence. She simply couldn't comprehend Sasuke doing anything like that. Although, she had had months to get used to the fact that Sasuke and Naruto had…done what they had done. Certainly, this shouldn't have surprised her as much as it did, but…it was Uchiha _Sasuke _they were talking about.

Granted, Sakura had fantasized about Sasuke in those situations back when she was a love-struck twelve-year-old, but now that she had grown out of that _phase_, the thought of Sasuke even allowing himself to get _hot and bothered_ just seemed so out of place.

Suigetsu only smirked and sipped at his straw, stating sagely, "every man has needs."

A moment later, Karin straightened up silently, a frown on her face, and went to the door.

"You'd better not go out there, Karin," Suigetsu stated, his tone suddenly sounding serious. "You're not gonna like it."

"Fuck off, asshole," she muttered rudely, before she left the house as well.

Suigetsu shrugged nonchalantly and looked around the table. "Is there a toilet in this place?"

Sakura, Kiba, and Hinata pointed him in the right direction and he left the table.

Sakura shared a look with Kiba and Hinata.

"Too much information," Kiba quipped, grimacing. "_Seriously_."

Sakura noticed from the corner of her eye Kakashi sighing and shaking his head a bit as he buried himself further behind his book.

She stared at Juugo, who was eating his meal quietly at the end of the table.

She hoped everything would turn out alright. For Naruto's sake.

If not for her sanity.

* * *

The wind blew through Sasuke's hair as he jabbed his arm forward, skewering another tree with his formed chidori. He pulled his arm sideways, cutting a clean line through one half of the tree's circumference, before sliding his left foot forward in a half moon and side-kicking the trunk. The wood beneath his foot groaned before it broke apart, causing the entire tree to fall over at the break, crashing opposite him into a clearing.

He didn't necessarily enjoy destroying wildlife, but he had nothing else to work with, and he was aiming to use quite a bit of chakra. So he could distract himself more efficiently.

He turned around, aiming for another tree, before he sensed someone behind him.

Sasuke stood up and loosened out of his battle stance, as he recognized the chakra signature.

"Wanna spar?"

Sasuke turned around, glancing behind him. Naruto was just standing at the treeline, his expression oddly determined. Clouds passed overhead and a breeze ruffled the leaves, sending overlapping shadows over them both and dappling across the forest floor.

Sasuke looked away, preparing to attack his initial target. He didn't need to be distracted anymore.

"What?" Naruto spoke again, his voice rough around the edges. "Don't think I'm good enough?"

Sasuke just ignored him, hoping that Naruto would just go away and leave him alone. Even though, realistically, he knew it would only make Naruto more stubborn. Naruto had never been one to give up when he was presented with a challenge, and Sasuke used to exploit that.

Suddenly, Naruto was in front of him, and the air was ripped out of Sasuke's lungs.

Sasuke flipped backward with the force of the blow, still managing to land on his feet in the end, and realizing belatedly that Naruto had just punched him in the stomach.

Sasuke activated his sharingan right before Naruto could punch him again, nearly missing the movement as his head moved backward, just inches away from Naruto's knuckles.

He watched tendrils of his black bangs brush against tan skin as if in slow-motion, before he was forced to duck to the left in anticipation of another punch. The knuckles just barely skimmed his jaw this time, and Sasuke's eyes widened.

Naruto was _fast_.

Faster than he'd ever seen him – and he wasn't using the Kyuubi.

A knee came up, aimed for his abdomen, but Sasuke blocked it with his calf – moving just in time to stop an elbow from hitting him in the side of the head. Sasuke almost had no time to think; even as his sharingan picked up Naruto's movements, before they happened, he only had enough time to react instinctually.

Naruto wasn't making any noise. When they had fought before, Naruto had always been loud, telegraphing his moves with warcries and shoddy movements. But now, Naruto was completely silent and his movements were so fast Sasuke almost couldn't read them as one merged into the other.

He leapt back from a powerful sidekick aimed at his chest, just in time to flip sideways and dodge an elbow to his side. Sasuke looked around him, eyes widening, trying to take it all in, but Naruto's movements were almost a blur. They almost bled into the air itself.

Sasuke sent punches out along with kicks, jabs, elbows and knees, but he always met thin air, and he'd been forced to stop short more than once to avoid incoming attacks.

Sasuke had never seen Naruto fight this way. He almost couldn't believe that this was the same person. The fighting style, the skill seemed completely different.

Naruto had been strong when Sasuke had left Konoha, Sasuke could acknowledge that. After all, it had been Naruto's burgeoning strength that had alerted Sasuke to his own weaknesses. But Sasuke had grown powerful over the years, training almost relentlessly under Orochimaru until he knew how to control his sharingan and the curse seal. He had become faster and stronger, and when Naruto had finally appeared to try to take him home, he had been weak.

And since then, Naruto had failed every time. Sasuke had started to think that only the Kyuubi had made Naruto strong; that without it, Naruto was nothing. And Sasuke could control the Kyuubi.

But now, Naruto wasn't using the Kyuubi, because Sasuke had held it back. He was fighting with his own strength, his own skill, and it was almost overwhelming.

Sasuke frowned, as a bead of sweat trickled down the side of his face. His and Naruto's movements became a blur. He caught Naruto's focused blue eyes every once and a while, before they were gone, replaced by nothing.

Another foot came in for the side of his head and he blocked it, finally grabbing the ankle, but it slipped from his grasp before he could get a good hold. He was forced backward from another attack to his jugular.

Sasuke flipped into the air and landed against a tree trunk, planting his feet and scanning the ground. He couldn't see anything and he only managed to noticed the chakra signature behind him, before a fist hit his spine, forcing him onto the ground, winded. Sasuke pushed himself off and rolled to the side, right before Naruto could finish the attack with a sharp elbow to his right kidney.

Suddenly out of breath, Sasuke waited for the right moment. When he saw an orange blur in his peripheral vision, he let out his attack – electrifying his entire body with the chidori nagashi. A cry sounded through the air and Sasuke wheeled around to see Naruto slam into a tree.

Sasuke rushed forward, closing his hands around Naruto's throat.

"Cheater," Naruto coughed, a trickle of blood traveling down his chin from the corner of his mouth.

Then Naruto was gone. Sasuke started, realizing that instead of warm skin, his hand was now gripping the rough bark of a log.

Sasuke turned around just in time to see Naruto holding a chakra formation Sasuke had never seen before. It was a ball of swirling energy, like the rasengan, but with what looked to be a rotating blade of chakra around it. Sasuke didn't even need to see it with his sharingan to know that it held an almost impossible amount of power. The ground was vibrating with it's intensity, the nearest trees bent in a vortex of wind.

Suddenly, Naruto ran toward him, his body becoming a veritable blur as it picked up speed and Sasuke tensed, realizing he had very little time to escape the attack if any at all. He only had a chance to step backward, before the bright blue light of the attack filled his vision.

And then it was gone, and a warm weight replaced it. Sasuke looked up into impossibly blue eyes, his arms and legs pinned to the ground by Naruto's thighs and arms.

Naruto stared at him, as Sasuke panted under the weight of Naruto's chest on his.

And then Naruto moved his face closer, his nose almost brushing Sasuke's and Sasuke couldn't keep his breath from hitching abruptly at the uncomfortable proximity.

"That night," Naruto almost whispered, his voice strangely rough. "It wasn't a mistake. Not for me."

And then Naruto's lips were against his, pressing against his mouth in earnest, as Sasuke tensed – body traitorously responding to the touch. The chapped, warm lips receded after only a moment, and Naruto opened his eyes, looking down at Sasuke with an emotion Sasuke had never seen in his eyes before.

And it almost hurt to look at them.

Naruto stared down at him with that same expression for a while – a moment that seemed like an eternity – before he got up and walked away.

Sasuke lay panting on the ground, staring up at the sky that resembled the color in those eyes, but was thankfully bereft of the emotion.

He stayed like that until the sun shifted and filtered through the trees that still stood, cascading dappled sunlight against his face with the slight shudder of the leaves in the breeze.

He got up hours later, his mind strangely blank, as if he was in some sort of shock. He placed a vacant finger to his lips as he walked back toward the house Yamato had crafted.

It was nearly evening when he reached it, having walked slowly, stiltingly – his mind full and empty all at once; his world shifted.

He looked up and saw Kakashi standing by the front door, watching him. The man stepped in front of him when he got closer, and he stopped.

"Sasuke, a word?" Kakashi muttered, gesturing toward the side of the house.

Sasuke nodded, still feeling slightly lightheaded, but feeling reality begin to cave back in on him as he followed the man around the corner.

They stopped and Kakashi leaned back against the house's wood panels, looking out into the forest with his one uncovered eye. Sasuke waited a moment for the man to speak. Kakashi always seemed to enjoy taking his own sweet time with important anecdotes of personal wisdom.

"There's something you should understand about Naruto, Sasuke," Kakashi stated, still looking off into the distance.

Sasuke waited in silence for him to continue.

"He's a lot stronger than you think."

_No kidding_, Sasuke thought, but his usual bitterness at a discovery like that never came. He only felt a strange, vague sense of curiosity. He licked his lips unconsciously, tasting something other than his own saliva.

"He's been training every year since you left," Kakashi continued. "Always aiming to reach you – in distance and in skill.

"At first, Jiraiya-sama had taught him to rely upon the Kyuubi, but in the end, that had been harmful. The Kyuubi's chakra was too powerful, and any time Naruto used it he ran a risk of losing control, letting the beast take over. And everytime he used it, the more the chakra would take from his life, killing him slowly as it healed him rapidly.

"When he came back to Konoha, I taught him how to use his kage bunshin in order to speed up his training process. Using a thousand clones, he could learn a technique a thousand times faster."

Sasuke looked at Kakashi's profile. It was an ingenious way of using the technique that Sasuke would have never thought of, and it was beginning to explain Naruto's exponential growth in a way Sasuke could not have understood otherwise.

"Yamato and I also demonstrated to him that he had a wind-type chakra, and we taught him how to use it to modify the rasengan. He eventually used his new technique to kill an incredibly strong Akatsuki member who had four hearts – giving him an equivalent of four lives. The technique was strong, but it had a major drawback. It's force was so destructive that it would damage the user almost as much as the victim. It would have crippled a normal shinobi, but Naruto's healing abilities are unmatched."

Sasuke remembered the jutsu Naruto had almost used on him just hours ago, and he suddenly understood what it was and how powerful it must have been.

Sasuke frowned, Naruto could have killed him.

But he didn't.

"It was when the Kyuubi began to gain more control that Naruto's difficulties arose," Kakashi continued, his expression grim beneath the mask. "It came to a point where Naruto couldn't raise his chakra beyond a certain level before the Kyuubi's chakra would take over, and so he was forced to keep his chakra use at a minimum. That was a year ago."

Kakashi finally looked down at him, seeming to wait for Sasuke's reaction. "When you supress the Kyuubi's chakra, Sasuke, you allow Naruto to tap his full potential. In that state, he is more powerful than me, Jiraiya, and even the Godaime Hokage…possibly, even you."

Sasuke looked up at Kakashi and then away toward the forest, thinking. That explained Naruto's strange surge in power and ability. It explained why he seemed like a completely different opponent those few hours ago.

All this time, Sasuke had thought Naruto was only special, only powerful at all, because of the Kyuubi – but he was wrong. It was the other way around. Naruto was powerful, but the Kyuubi hindered him at every turn.

Sasuke didn't know how he felt about that. The fact that Naruto could be more powerful than him, even with his bloodline limit, even after becoming a missing nin and learning from one of the _immortal _sannin, even after sacrificing everything: his village, his bonds – unnerved him.

"You must understand, Sasuke," Kakashi's words broke into his thoughts. "Naruto may be more powerful than you, but without you, he is weak. You make him stronger – and I would argue that he makes you stronger too."

There was a moment of silence as the wind rustled through the trees and the sun sank lower behind them, before Kakashi pushed himself off of the wall and shoved his hands into his pockets, beginning to walk away. Just before he stepped around the corner of the house, he muttered, "dinner starts soon." And then he was gone.

Sasuke's mind was full again, and he stared off into the night as it got darker and darker – the trees slowly fading into the backdrop of blackness beyond.

He had been afraid of weakness. He knew that now. The Kyuubi had used him as its pawn because of his emotions. He had become vulnerable to it – or so he had made himself believe. But it wasn't about that at all. He knew he could control it easily. He only needed to watch it and it would never be able to carry out its plan.

No, he had been afraid of attachment. He had been afraid of getting close, afraid of bonds with another, because somewhere deep inside himself he knew that he could easily slip under their control. He could lose sight of his goal; lose sight of the path he thought was the only way to surpass his brother.

But now he wondered if he had been deluding himself, or if he'd let Itachi get into his head. It had been Itachi who had taught him the power of hate, but even Sasuke hadn't been able to kill his best friend in order to gain the same power. Even at that time, Sasuke had refused the path set before him.

Even then there was something inside of him holding him back, and that was his attachment to Naruto. The one thing that could foil all of his plans. The one person who never gave up pursuing him – irritating Sasuke with his perserverence, because inside he'd always known, he'd been in denial but he'd known, that Naruto was right.

Sasuke was a coward. He'd lost every precious person in his life when he was only seven years old, and subconsciously, he had vowed to himself that he would never make attachments again – because then, he could never be hurt.

He'd told himself that it was the only way he could surpass his brother and kill him. He'd had to immerse himself in hatred and solitude – dependence only on himself he wanted to truly become stronger.

But Naruto had become his best friend. Against all odds, Sasuke hadn't been able to stop the bond from forming. Even on that first mission, his body had moved on its own.

It was Orochimaru who made him feel weak, and he had followed him to gain that strength, but under his tutelage Sasuke had learned how depraved the man really was. And even then Sasuke had decided to never be like him, because he was more powerful, because he was an Uchiha, because he could never be like his brother. And he had killed him, punishing Orochimaru for all of his wrongs which had been laid bare before him.

And after Orochimaru had died, Sasuke had thought of Naruto and where he was at that moment; and if he would come after him once he heard that Sasuke had killed his teacher.

He had denied it to himself, but he had wanted Naruto to come; to try to fix those bonds. If only to remind Sasuke that he hadn't fully sacrificed his soul, his humanity, to his brother.

And then that night, he had lost control, and he'd felt exposed, his comforting denial slipping away. That night, he had been forced to face his demons, and he had been afraid. Afraid of the very fact that something – someone – could make him lose so much control so quickly. Afraid that that person made him vulnerable when he had spent years becoming stronger. Afraid that he would lose sight of his goal and be unable, in the end, to become powerful enough to kill _that man_.

Afraid that Naruto wasn't under the same spell – that he had been the one pulling the strings. That he had somehow been using Sasuke, that the Kyuubi had been using them both, in order to forge a means by which Sasuke could be defeated.

That the Kyuubi had, in fact, made Naruto act contrary to his own desires.

Sasuke tasted his lips again.

Naruto had said it hadn't been a mistake.

Sasuke heart beat quickened at the thought, and he suddenly felt anxious.

But for the first time since that night, Sasuke wanted to believe that Naruto was telling the truth.

* * *

The front shoji door slid open and Kiba sidled in, a bucket of trout swinging in his arms as Akamaru trailed in behind him. "Tadaima!" he announced, placing the bucket on the table. "I've got dinner."

"Thanks, Kiba," Sakura replied, cooking the rice in a pot over a tiny grill Yamato had produced from his pack.

Hinata walked in from Naruto's room, holding the babies who were now awake from what seemed to be a very long nap. Mikomi yawned widely, her eyes still at half-mast, and Sasuke-chan's hair went out at odd angles from beneath his cap, which Sakura thought was adorable.

Hinata sat down at the table, placing the babies on either side of her.

It was already dark outside and Yamato had lit the lanterns around the house. The door slid open again and Sasuke walked in, his expression as carefully blank as ever.

"Have you seen Naruto, Sasuke?" Sakura asked, beginning to worry about where Naruto had gone as it was already dark and he wasn't back. She thought he had gone off to spar with Sasuke, which had been against her better judgment, but she couldn't have stopped him if she'd tried.

Sasuke looked around the room. "He isn't back yet?"

"No," Sakura replied, her mind offering up images of Naruto lying half-dead somewhere. Her tone became accusing, even though she'd tried to suppress it. "I thought you and he had sparred together."

Sasuke's expression suddenly changed, and she was surprised to see him look a bit worried, but he only nodded at her and glanced back at the door. He seemed to be debating with himself whether to go back outside or not, before he stopped, his now red eyes narrowing.

"He's coming," he stated, and then he took a seat at the table, although he looked oddly irritated about something.

Sure enough, moments later, the shoji door slid open again and Naruto was behind it, dragging someone with bright red hair on his back.

Sakura stood up when she realized Karin was unconscious. "What happened?"

"She tried to attack me," Naruto replied with a scowl, before he looked over at Sasuke. His tone became markedly quieter. "I think she was…watching us."

Sasuke's frown grew, "I'll have to talk to her."

"Please do," Naruto stated, although his voice was strangely low, like Sasuke's had been, and his face was a bit flushed.

They stared at each other for a long moment, something meaningful passing between them, before Naruto finally looked away and slid Karin off of his back, sitting her down next to the table and letting her limp head fall with a satisfying thump against the table top.

Sakura looked over at Hinata and she could tell Hinata was wondering the same thing. It seemed as though something other than sparring had happened between the two boys, because there was a strange, palpable electricity in the air between them that hadn't been there this morning.

Naruto sat down beside Hinata and Sakura handed him more bottles of formula for the babies, and he busied himself with that as Sasuke watched on, his expression strange – almost fascinated, as though he was seeing the entire process for the first time.

Slowly, the rest of the house's occupants trickled in, starting with Juugo and ending with the ever fashionably late Kakashi.

They ate with mostly Suigetsu talking and then Kiba throwing in jokes whenever he saw an opening. It was strangely companionable – less tense than that morning had been, probably mostly because Karin was still out cold and Sasuke and Naruto were sending each other alternating furtive looks across the table instead of completely ignoring each other's existence. Even the babies seemed oddly calm as they sucked on their bottles. Sasuke-chan hadn't even cried once.

Eventually, everyone was full and people began to leave the table, starting with Yamato and then Kakashi who made his way outside to begin guard-duty for the night. She wondered how Kakashi could stay up for so long, because she was already exhausted. She frowned to herself, realizing it was probably because she'd spent most of the day worrying so much.

The last people to stay at the table were her, the unconscious Karin, Hinata, Sasuke, and Naruto, before Naruto finally stood up and yawned, saying good night and taking his sleeping babies with him. Hinata left shortly after that, and then it was just her and Sasuke. She watched him as he looked down at his plate, frowning, seemingly debating something in his head. He didn't seem to realize that she was there, until he looked up and glanced at her.

"Sakura, can you heal her?" He indicated Karin with a nod of his head.

Sakura grimaced, "I _could_, technically."

Sasuke nodded and then he stood up, taking her answer as an affirmation that she _would_. But she didn't protest his assumption as he left the table and walked toward Naruto's room.

She stared at the hall he had disappeared into, before smiling.

Things were looking up.

Then she looked across the table at the comatose Karin, and her expression fell flat. As she approached her, Sakura wondered if she could play a little with the girl's motorskills before she woke her up. Sakura smiled deviously.

Now _that _would be fun.

* * *

AN: That was a long chapter, and I still managed to make Sasuke monologue, which kills me slowly every time. Haha.

Parts of this chapter were strangely sweet. I think I had meant for the sparring session to be a lot more confrontational, but it didn't come out that way. Either way, I'm not complaining. I think that turned out to be my favorite scene in this fic so far. To write, at least.

So, tell me what y'all think. Coz I think you guys are awesome and made of win. You know I do.


	12. Goodbye, Apathy

Disclaimer: I don't own the series, Naruto.

AN: Sorry for the long wait! I had to finish my finals for art school and now I'm on winter break! So, I guess this means I'll be having a lot more time to write in the coming month. Yay for us all.

Thanks so much for all the wonderful reviews I got for the last chapter. They were really great to read.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Chapter 11: Goodbye, Apathy

"So, Tsunade-hime, what do you know about Naruto, hm?"

Tsunade's eyes narrowed at the white-haired pervert across from her and licked her lips, tasting the sharp warmth of recently swallowed sake. She was a little dismayed to see that his usually sharp features were blurring together confoundingly within her vision, but she decided to ignore it as she threw back another shot.

"What makes you think I know _anything_?" She countered, missing the way her numb tongue tripped over the words and wiping her mouth unbecomingly on the back of her hand while glaring at him with bleary, sake-clouded eyes.

"It took me a lot longer to convince you to join me at the sake bar," Jiraiya stated, his expression a mixture of seriousness and amusement that only he could pull off. "Which tells me that you're happier – or at least not as depressed. You can't fool me, Tsunade. I know you know something about the brat."

Tsunade rolled her eyes and flopped back against the booth seat behind her. She should have known Jiraiya was testing her, just like Kakashi had been. They both wouldn't quit until they got all of the secrets out of her. She wished all the men in her life weren't so damn stubborn.

Besides, she suspected Jiraiya had a point. She had finally agreed to go to the sake bar with him, after two weeks of refusing, simply because, after the calm that came over her from knowing Naruto was alive, she had started to get a little worried. After all, she hadn't heard about how Naruto's search for Sasuke was going, or even if it was already completed. She'd heard nothing, because of the confidentiality of the situation in which she had left them, and her orders to Jiraiya and Yamato not to send her any information. She had only sent them information on Akatsuki's whereabouts, care of Jiraiya, last night, and she hoped that would help them if they were having difficulty finding Uchiha Sasuke.

Needless to say, she still had a bad feeling about it all. She wasn't convinced in the slightest that the Uchiha would be a good addition to Naruto's already long list of problems. She couldn't see how that missing nin, who had, on two occasions, tried to kill Naruto, would be of any help – even if he possessed the bloodline limit that could control the Kyuubi, and even if he was the…_other parent_. The whole situation had her more anxious than she would like to admit, and she certainly couldn't talk to anyone about it.

"It's confidential," she stated, pushing a complementary tooth pick between her teeth and widdling out the remains of the daikon she had recently eaten – trying to look more casual than she felt.

"Ah," Jiraiya nodded, but he placed his sake cup down carefully, watching her. "Hokage business, eh? But why hasn't he been back to the village yet, if you know where he is?"

"He can't come back," Tsunade replied, before grimacing. She already knew she had given too much away, but it was all Jiraiya's fault for loosening her tongue with liquor – _interrogative asshole_. She tried to recover her hand, although she and Jiraiya both knew she was never good at poker. "I am keeping him away on an extended mission."

Jiraiya frowned at her, assessing her answer, but she merely busied herself with another shot of sake – avoiding his gaze. She could feel the blood rise to her cheeks, but she hoped Jiraiya would take it as more a symptom of her growing intoxication than of her terrible attempt at lying through the skin of her teeth.

"Something to do with Akatsuki?" Jiraiya finally asked, his eyes strangely sharp for having ingested five shots of sake in the last thirty minutes.

"Yes," Tsunade nodded. Well, it was sort of the truth anyway. It did have something to do with Akatsuki…although most of it had _nothing _to do with that particular organization at all.

"How much?"

"What?" She stared at him, not understanding what he meant.

"How much of it has to do with Akatsuki?" he reiterated, leaning forward over the table.

Tsunade frowned. "_A lot_."

"So," Jiraiya began. "You found Naruto after _four_ months of being missing, and then you kept him out of the village for at least another month to go on a mission that had _a lot _to do with Akatsuki?"

Now she knew he was patronizing her. After all, it was obvious to both of them that her entire, admittedly make-shift, cover story sounded absolutely ridiculous. Her frown only grew and she metaphorically dug in her heels. "Yes."

Jiraiya finally sent her a frown of his own, leaning back. "You're a terrible liar."

She remained silent, sipping some more sake in place of answering.

"What really happened to Naruto?" Jiraiya prodded, his voice strangely low. "Why can't he come back to Konohagakure, and why does he need an escort of an Anbu, a Jounin, and three Chuunin?"

Tsunade's eyes widened, but then again she shouldn't have been surprised.

"I have my connections, Tsunade-hime," Jiraiya replied to her expression, voicing what she had already gathered on her own.

Tsunade sighed irritably, trying not to look at anything but the sake cup sitting on the table in front of her, because if she looked at anything else she would be keenly aware of how the room was spinning. She knew she should have never given in to Jiraiya's needling. _Why_ did she have to get drunk? She really must have been a masochist.

She finally gave in, if only to get this over with so that she could go back home and pass out – in fact she wished she could pass out now – that would be convenient. Too bad luck was never on her side. She looked around the bar, noting that there was only one other occupant, currently passed out over his spilled drink. She sighed and sent Jiraiya a look that she hoped he would interpret correctly as a clear sign of her irritation with him. "You wouldn't believe me even if I told you."

That was probably the truest statement she had given all night.

"_Try me_," Jiraiya challenged, a smirk tugging at his lips.

….

Naruto woke up to find two dark eyes staring down at him, only inches from his face. The owner of those eyes was currently grimacing at him.

"Sasuke-chan?" Naruto mumbled, before wiping at his sleep-fogged eyes and grabbing hold of the baby on his chest before sitting up. Naruto yawned. "What're you doing here, eh?"

The kit remained silent, his ears swiveling around, although his left ear mostly remained leaning toward the side of the room. His little hands were pressed against Naruto's chest as the kit stared up at him. He seemed agitated. Well, more than usual.

Naruto frowned a bit in confusion at his kit's odd behavior. "Are you hungry? Did you make an accident?" Naruto sniffed the air and came up blank. "Nope."

"How'd you get on top of me anyway?" Naruto looked about the room and noticed a trail of cloth from the spot where he'd left Mikomi and Sasuke-chan sleeping the night before. He felt a spike of excitement at the realization that Sasuke-chan must have crawled, before he noticed that Mikomi wasn't there either, and he began to panic. "Where's your sister?"

Surprisingly, Sasuke-chan turned his head and Naruto followed the kit's gaze, nearly jumping out of his skin as his eyes alighted upon what could only be the figure of the grown-up Sasuke sitting below the window. Naruto immediately tensed until he noticed, after careful inspection, that Sasuke's eyes were closed, his breathing slow and regular.

He was asleep.

_When had he come into the room? _Naruto couldn't remember Sasuke following him when he retired last night after dinner.

He remembered feeling a bit disappointed when Sasuke had failed to move after him or react in any way to his departure. After all, Sasuke had been staring at him the entire meal, sending him looks that made Naruto's skin prickle and heart beat quicken so that he could barely concentrate on feeding himself and the kits. It had been simultaneously uncomfortable and exhilerating. He'd known at that moment that something had changed between them; that whatever had been blocking Sasuke's acceptance of the situation had been eroded away by their spar…and what had come after.

When Naruto had entered his room the night before, he'd deliberately tried to stay awake for as long as possible, hoping that Sasuke would eventually come, but he had fallen asleep. The next thing he remembered, he was looking into Sasuke-chan's black eyes.

But Sasuke had come at some point in the night and had stayed.

Naruto pulled Sasuke-chan against his bare chest and shuffled closer to the fully clothed Sasuke until he was just inches away. Naruto looked down and saw Mikomi curled up asleep in Sasuke's lap, her hand once again resting against his rising and falling stomach. Sasuke's arm was wrapped gingerly around her back, cradling her close to his body. Naruto couldn't keep a smile from tugging at his mouth.

Sasuke's head rested against the wall behind him, bangs hanging away from his pale face and revealing all of his features. Naruto held in a breath and gazed at Sasuke's fluttering eyelashes, following the line of his straight nose and ending at his slightly parted lips. He vaguely realized that he had never truly seen Sasuke completely off-guard before. The last time he had seen him, they were sparring, and before that, they were fighting. Sasuke's expression had always been blank or irritated. And before that, when they'd…Sasuke's expression was twisted in something else entirely different from anger, but even then Naruto's memory was clouded by Kyuubi and his own raging emotions.

Naruto had never had a chance to really look at _Sasuke _when he wasn't tense or angry or irritated, and he had to admit, it was a breathtaking sight. He'd always wondered why the girls in Konoha had never been able to get enough of Sasuke, why they constantly fell all over him and never batted even an eyelash for Naruto. He'd been too busy being jealous and frustrated to really look for himself, but now that he was, he couldn't deny Sasuke's striking good looks, his almost feminine beauty. Sasuke would probably kill him for even thinking that. Naruto smirked at the thought – but he couldn't deny what was true.

Naruto suddenly felt Sasuke's breath ghost across his lips, which effectively alerted him to the fact that he was now only inches away from Sasuke's face. Naruto's heart hammered in his chest and he licked his dry lips nervously, wondering if Sasuke would kill him if he leaned forward just a little more. He concluded that Sasuke probably would, but then he wondered if he should care.

However, in the end, his indecision didn't matter because Naruto was suddenly jolted out of his thoughts when a loud wail filled the room. Sasuke's eyes snapped open, already a blood red, and Naruto jumped away in panic, looking down at the wailing Sasuke-chan in his arms in slight exasperation, before switching back to Sasuke's irritated face.

Naruto slapped a hand behind the back of his head and chuckled nervously, his voice slightly hoarse. "Ehehehe…Good morning, Sasuke."

Sasuke's eyes bled black again and he looked unamused and slightly groggy, which Naruto secretly thought made his old rival look incredibly attractive. "Hn."

Sasuke looked down at his lap and stared.

"I think you're her favorite," Naruto stated, hardly keeping down a smile as he rocked Sasuke-chan in his arms, hoping that the kit would calm down.

Mikomi shifted in his lap, before her blue eyes finally opened and stared up at Sasuke. Sasuke stared down at her, as though entranced, but then her expression changed quite drastically and she began to cry heartily. Sasuke frowned uncomfortably as she wailed.

"I think you have to change her diaper," Naruto muttered, holding his sensitive nose.

Sasuke looked at him incredulously, clearly adverse to the entire idea.

"C'mon, bastard," Naruto admonished, although the nickname lacked its usual bite. "You can't smell it nearly as strongly as I can, and I need to get Sasuke-chan calmed down."

At that, Sasuke looked down at the kit in Naruto's arms, his eyes widening slightly. Naruto started and looked down at Sasuke-chan as well, realizing what had gotten Sasuke's attention. The kit wasn't wearing his cap anymore.

"Oh, yeah," Naruto began lamely, suddenly nervous in anticipation of Sasuke's reaction. "You haven't seen them without their hats."

"But I pushed the Kyuubi back," Sasuke muttered, pulling a sniffling Mikomi's cap off of her head and confirming that she had the same swivelling ears as her brother.

"They were born that way," Naruto replied. "I don't think you can change them."

Sasuke touched one of Mikomi's golden ears and slid his finger toward the soft tip. She stopped sniffling a bit and closed her tear-filled eyes as he stroked her feather soft ear from base to tip. Naruto was surprised at how easily and intuitively Sasuke was able to calm her down – but of course he was always the genius; best at everything and all that, Naruto thought a little darkly.

Sasuke's gaze switched to Naruto's.

"How were they...born?" Sasuke asked quietly, his voice deep, but rough from sleep.

It was the first time they had really talked about it, and Naruto swallowed around the sudden lump in his throat. Not that he hadn't expected this moment would come sooner or later. Naruto sighed and rocked Sasuke-chan in his arms again. The kit was looking up at him but his ears were back, pointed toward Sasuke – a sign that he was agitated by the missing nin's presence.

"In a shack, in Snow Country," Naruto replied, his voice lower than usual, his eyes downcast at the memories that flooded his mind. He knew it would be best to just lay it all out there. "I cut myself open and pulled them out."

Sasuke stared at him, frowning slightly. "You cut yourself open?"

Naruto nodded. "The Fox didn't make any…" Naruto stopped, and gestured vaguely toward the lower half of his body, not knowing how to word the rest without embarrassing himself.

Sasuke nodded, looking a little uncomfortable himself, and saved Naruto from having to finish the sentence. "Then Kyuubi healed you?"

"No." Naruto shook his head, the familiar guilt washing over him. "The Fox was too weak. Sakura and the rest found me before I…"

Naruto's voice trailed off and Sasuke just stared at him silently. They remained like that as Mikomi continued to cry and whimper in Sasuke's lap, the sunlight moving across the floor through the window as the morning dragged on.

It was a while before Sasuke spoke, sounding a bit exasperated. "_Idiot_."

"I know," Naruto mumbled without retort. It was true, after all. Even though he didn't like it that Sasuke had to point it out. He was a lot more sensitive to what Sasuke thought of him; he always had been.

"Where are the diapers?"

Naruto looked up in surprise, but Sasuke was only looking back at him expectantly. It took a while for Naruto to realize that Sasuke was waiting for him to answer.

"Over here," Naruto muttered, getting up and scrounging through his pack in the corner, next to where Mikomi and Sasuke-chan slept. He pulled out a bag of diapers and tossed it to Sasuke, who had gotten up and laid Mikomi on a blanket on the floor.

Naruto walked over to his side, expecting Sasuke to need some help. "Have you ever done this before?"

"No," Sasuke replied shortly, but he was looking at the back of the package with a focused gaze. He pulled the diapers out of the package, before undoing Mikomi's diaper. Naruto slapped a hand over his nose again and Sasuke-chan sneezed in Naruto's hold.

"Okay, dow you hab to clean her boddom, and then wrap da diaper…" Naruto began, but his voice trailed off when Sasuke pulled back and Mikomi was in a fresh, properly affixed diaper.

"_Hey!_" Naruto exclaimed, releasing his nose and glaring at Sasuke suspiciously. "You liar! You _have _done this before!"

"I haven't," Sasuke denied it, looking over his shoulder at Naruto with a slight frown.

"Then how did you know how to do it?" Naruto retorted, and then his eyes widened, a sudden idea rising in his mind. "Did you use your _sharingan_?"

"No," Sasuke shook his head and picked up the package, pointing to a group of text on the back. "I read the instructions."

Naruto read the text skeptically before deflating. "Oh."

Sasuke smirked and even though it annoyed the hell out of him, Naruto had forgotten how much he'd missed it, because Sasuke hadn't smirked at him since they were still on Team 7. At least not in that teasing, light-hearted way.

"Figures a dobe like you wouldn't know how to read instructions," Sasuke stated, the once familiar smirk still tugging at his lips.

"Tch," Naruto frowned, only partially affronted by the jab to his intelligence. "Unlike _you_, I was able to do it _without _instructions!"

"Sakura helped you then?"

Naruto threw a punch at Sasuke's head, but Sasuke dodged it and moved closer, just inches from Naruto's face; that infernal, smug smirk still tugging at his mouth.

"You should work on your aim, _dobe_," Sasuke muttered, his breath just grazing Naruto's lips.

Naruto swallowed a bit at the proximity, but tried not to show that he was effected. He pulled Sasuke-chan closer to his bare chest, almost like a shield between him and Sasuke.

"It didn't seem like that yesterday," Naruto retorted without thinking.

"Hn." Sasuke's smirk fell away and a strange atmosphere fell over the room as they both remembered everything that had happened the day before, and everything that had changed.

"When did you come in…" Naruto began after the short silence, his voice turning serious. "last night?"

Sasuke looked at him at length before replying. "After you fell asleep."

"So," Naruto muttered and he licked his lips, suddenly nervous and slightly unsure. "Are you going to make this a regular thing…or…?"

Sasuke didn't reply but he seemed to be thinking something over, before his gaze slipped down to Naruto's lips. Naruto swallowed and Sasuke looked back into his eyes as he moved closer. He twitched in slight surprise when a hand slid up his shoulder and up the back of his neck until it rested at the nape. He licked his dry lips again, his heart fluttering frantically in his chest, and he allowed his eyelids to fall to half mast in anticipation.

Naruto felt a bit dazed. He hadn't expected Sasuke to take the initiative so soon. He had been so distant only a day before and there was a part of Naruto that still didn't believe this was happening. But he sure as hell wasn't going to stop it if it was.

Naruto heard the sound of Sasuke's clothes shuffling as the boy moved closer, and he barely felt pressure against his lips before a loud scream echoed throughout the house.

Naruto's eyes snapped open and he gasped, seeing Sasuke pull back, sitting on his haunches and looking toward the door to the room. Naruto frowned in disappointment as the moment dissipated, and Sasuke-chan begain to cry again to which Naruto rocked him distractedly.

"What was _that_?"

Just as Naruto asked the question, another loud scream echoed through the house.

Naruto followed Sasuke out of the room and into the dining room, only to see Karin crumpled in a heap by the front door. She was currently screaming and yelling, rolling around on the floor as if possessed.

"Karin…" Sasuke began, his voice calm in contrast to the woman on the floor.

She rolled around so that she could look up at Sasuke, her limbs tangled unnaturally. "THAT BITCH, THAT _WHORE! _I'M GOING TO KILL HER!"

Hinata and Kiba entered the room from the opposite hall, still in their night clothes, and it wasn't too long before Suigetsu, Juugo, Kakashi, and Yamato revealed themselves at the base of the stairs.

Suigetsu was already chuckling and not trying to hide it, resting on the hilt of his sword lazily.

Sakura finally stepped into the room last, rubbing her eyes blearily and yawning exaggeratedly. "What's going on?"

She winked at Naruto discreetly near the end of another stretch and Karin only screamed louder. Naruto's mouth dropped open a little in disbelief. He _never _wanted to get on Sakura's bad side, she was a little too much like Tsunade-no-baachan.

"YOU DID SOMETHING TO ME, YOU _BITCH_!" Karin screeched again, clearly struggling to sit up but unable to get her limbs to follow her commands.

"Who, me?" Sakura asked, a little too innocently to be believable.

"Sakura," Kakashi spoke sternly, and the goading smile slid off of Sakura's face.

"What?" she asked, but she clearly knew that it was a lost cause. Everyone in the room knew she was the only shinobi capable of doing this sort of damage.

"Fix her," Sasuke told Sakura calmly, before looking down at Karin, who was still struggling to move her limbs properly. "Karin, stay still. She's tampered with your motor skills. You won't be able to move correctly no matter how hard you try."

Karin only whimpered, clearly admonished, but her mouth was still stretched in a large frown, illustrating her dislike of the entire situation.

"Fine," Sakura stated, although she smirked a bit as she walked toward Karin and knelt beside her. "This is gonna sting," She warned almost cheerfully.

Before Karin could react, Sakura jabbed her in different parts of her body in quick succession. Karin cried out at each jab, but the entire process was over in less than a minute. When Sakura stepped back, Karin sat up and rubbed her shoulders, glaring at Sakura for all she was worth.

"Your muscles should hurt for a while," Sakura stated as if from a textbook, ignoring Karin's expression of outrage. "And I wouldn't be surprised if you sprained something in your struggle to regain motor function. Other than that, however, you should fully recover."

"YOU…"

"Karin," Sasuke interrupted. Karin snapped her mouth shut, although she looked miserable.

"Well, I'm going to go to the hot spring," Sakura continued, completely nonplussed and Naruto almost shivered at the fake smile she wore. "Breakfast should be in an hour." She looked back at Hinata. "Would you like to come, Hinata?"

Hinata nodded, getting her own towel and a change of clothes before following Sakura out.

They left out the front door, Sakura producing a towel from somewhere and sliding the shoji closed behind them.

Karin stood up unsteadily once they were gone, brushing imaginary dirt off of her clothes and hair, before sliding on her glasses with an air of calm disdain that completely contrasted with her earlier fit. She then walked jiltingly through the dining room and up the stairs to her room, head held high despite the telling way her lower lip trembled.

When she was finally upstairs there was a strange silence amongst the male shinobi left behind.

"Wait…" Kiba finally spoke. "We have a hotspring?"

….

"Your mission is to guard a convoy of goods through Waterfall Country and deliver it safely to the village of Hidden Rock." Tsunade steepled her hands and regarded the three shinobi in front of her.

As usual, Shikamaru didn't look impressed by his assignment, Ino was currently looking at her nails more intently than she was listening to her own Hokage, and meanwhile, Chouji was probably deaf to her over the sound of his own endless chewing. Tsunade rolled her eyes toward the heavens, it was a wonder this village could get anything done.

"This mission should take a week to complete," Tsunade continued, gazing mainly at Shikamaru, who was watching her blandly, his hands securely in his pockets. "Report back when you're finished."

"Hai." They all chimed, telling her for the first time that they were actually awake.

"Dismissed."

The three shinobi poofed out of the room and she was once again left alone with her thoughts – and her humongous stacks of papers, but she usually did a pretty good job of ignoring those, which was probably why they were so humongous.

Her thoughts were stuck on her last meeting with Jiraiya, reruning the last of their conversation over and over again in her mind to the point of distraction. Who would have thought that telling Jiraiya Naruto's situation would turn out so fruitful. Most of the time that man was an idiot, but she still couldn't ignore that some of the time, he was a genius.

Of course, at first, it wasn't very easy for him to digest the information – she remembered the way he spat out his sake all over the table and didn't even bother to clean it up - but once she punched him in the face (luckily, she was drunk and her aim was off, sending only a fraction of the usual force behind her punches into his head), releasing him from his shock, he was infinitely helpful.

Now she knew exactly what she had to do to ensure that Naruto would be able to reenter the village safely, and if she did it correctly, he would be able to remain a shinobi and garner his dream.

Shizune entered her office at that moment, holding a tray of steaming green tea.

Tsunade looked up. "Shizune."

"Yes, Tsunade-sama?" Shizune placed the tray upon her desk, before giving her her full undivided attention.

"Call the elders," Tsunade smiled. "I would like to meet with them."

Shizune sent her a quizzical look, but eventually ascented. "Yes, Tsunade-sama."

Tsunade's smile grew and she sat back in her chair, once again alone in her office as sunlight streamed in through the large windows.

_Let's see how gullible those old farts really are._

…

AN: MERRY CHRISTMAS (again)!

Well, now I've worked out the entire ending of this fic, and when I say 'worked out' I mean, it basically came to me in a dream. So, now I know where it's all going and it should be about 15 to 20 chapters long, which I think is a good length.

Sadly, in the light of recent manga chapters, canon has caught up with the plotline of this fic…and this plot is no longer following canon, for obvious reasons (cries). Well, obvious reasons other than the fact that Naruto will never be pregnant and having babies in canon, which we can all agree would be pretty weird. But in terms of backplot, it no longer fits canon, and for all we know, Itachi's going to die in a few chapters. So, no one really knows. Oh well…in this fic, Itachi (and other characters) are still alive. So yippee to that.

I hope you all have enjoyed this chapter, and I hope you are all having a fantabulous holiday experience.

I've gotten awesome presents and that's great, but my real Christmas present might come on January 3rd after the Iowa caucuses (c'mon Barack Obama!). So, until then, I will be in suspense! I hope you all have gotten what you wanted!

Thanks for reading!


	13. The Hokage's Successor

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

AN: I completely rewrote this chapter, because it was crap before. XD

Chapter 12: The Hokage's Successor

Tsunade tapped her pen against the parchment sitting in front of her as she waited for Shizune to arrive with her guests. Five minutes had already passed and she was becoming impatient. She needed this to work and she couldn't keep herself from becoming more than a bit anxious that the two elders might see through her plan, which would ruin everything. She frowned and bit her lip as the door to her office remained motionless. She'd have to blame Jiraiya if this plan fell through. It was his idea in the first place, after all.

Just as she was about to take a sip of sake from her secret stash, kept in one of her desk drawers, in order to calm her nerves, there was a light knock on the door. Shizune entered, followed by the elders, Homura and Koharu.

"Your guests have arrived, Godaime," Shizune softly spoke as she moved to the side of the room to get some tea.

"Thank you, Shizune." Tsunade nodded.

"Tsunade-hime." Koharu bowed her head slightly before sitting down across from her desk. "I trust we find you well."

"Why have you called us here on such short notice?" Homura asked, scratching his beard a bit before sitting as well.

"I've called you here to discuss something with you," Tsunade began and then paused. "Well, it's more that I have something to inform you of."

"Oh?" Koharu asked, her eyebrows rising slightly.

"It's about Uzumaki Naruto," Tsunade stated, then paused as the elders reacted with the expected amount of shock and interest.

"Why? Have you found him?" Koharu pressed, her wrinkled hands nearly shaking in anticipation.

"When did this happen? Where has he been?" Homura continued, leaning forward from his chair so far that he nearly fell off the seat.

Tsunade suspected they both were just itching to place Naruto back into the safety of the village, which basically translated to imprisoning him for as long as he lived. Tsunade frowned as she took another sip of her sake – no one had to know it wasn't tea.

Meanwhile, Shizune poured some green tea for the two elders. They barely even acknowledged her as she stepped away, their eyes boring into Tsunade's blank features.

Tsunade took in a small breath. "The truth is, he hasn't been missing. I sent him out on a secret mission months ago for the purpose of training."

As expected, both elders looked absolutely stunned. Tsunade had to keep herself from smirking at the sight.

"Secret training?" Koharu sounded breathless as though she had just run a mile and back, her eyes wide, her mouth quivering.

"Yes," Tsunade nodded. "I'm preparing to name him as my successor."

The sound of ceramic breaking came from Shizune's direction as she dropped a tea cup onto the floor and proceeded to ignore it, now gaping at Tsunade. Homura had his own tea cup halfway to his lips as he stared open mouthed at her. Koharu's mouth was quivering even more as her hands fisted and unfisted at a nervous pace.

Tsunade decided to take advantage of everyone's silence by embellishing her story.

"He's going to come back to the village soon and before then I will name him Rokudaime Hokage."

"H-hokage…but…but…" Koharu spluttered, nearly knocking her tea cup over when she jumped in alarm.

"You can't just – " Homura began, but Tsunade interrupted him before he could get too far.

"Yes, I can. It is one of my rights as Hokage to name a successor and I have deemed Naruto worthy." Her voice took on a commanding tone as she ended her statement, eyes blazing as she looked challengingly between the two nearly apoplectic elders.

"B-but…he's a jinchuuriki!" Koharu ejaculated, waving her gnarled hands about in distress.

Tsunade's eyes narrowed. "I don't see what that has to do with anything."

"Tsunade, listen to reason!" Homura retorted.

But Tsunade only shook her head. "It's already done. I have been training him to follow in my footsteps for years and this secret training mission was the last test. He has passed it unequivocally. He is more than qualified to take on the job, and when he returns he will be your Hokage. That's final."

Both of the elders went silent at that, clearly still in shock.

"Shizune," Tsunade glanced over at her aid to see the woman still staring at her. "Show Homura-san and Koharu-san out please."

"H-hai," Shizune nodded shakily before helping the elders out of their seats and opening the door for them.

When it closed, Shizune turned back around and stared at Tsunade in disbelief. "I had no idea this was going to be your plan."

Tsunade took another sip of her sake, her shoulders sagging into the back of her chair as she let out a breath. "It's the only way. Now Naruto will be safe. No one will be able to touch him."

Shizune sent her a strange look. "What's going on with Naruto-kun? Why can't he just come back to the village?"

Tsunade sighed and stood up from her chair, turning toward the window as she looked out across the village which was glowing in the morning sunshine. She could hear the hustle and bustle of shoppers already out on the streets. She saw children playing with a ball near the side of one of the houses as some older shinobi ran by toward the Academy.

The next generation was already growing up.

"Tsunade?" Shizune had moved beside her by the window, looking up at her questioningly.

"Naruto is ready," Tsunade finally replied. "And he can't be kept in a cage any longer." She finally looked down at Shizune, who was still watching her in bemusement.

"I'm going to give him his dream."

Tsunade looked back out at the village, the children still playing.

_I'm going to give you your family, Naruto._

…

Sasuke watched as Naruto pulled Sasuke-chan into his lap and proceeded to make stupid faces. They were both sitting out on the grass near the house, the toddlers with them and the sun shining down with only a slight breeze to ruffle Sasuke's bangs as he watched on. Naruto was currently absorbed in trying to amuse Sasuke-chan, which seemed to be impossible as the toddler continued to pout stubbornly. Sasuke had initially doubted that Naruto could look more like an idiot than he already did, but Naruto proved him wrong as his eyes crossed and his cheeks puffed out like a blow fish's. As the facial acrobatics continued and Naruto began to coo unintelligibly, Sasuke-chan only looked more displeased with life.

"Don't hurt yourself, dobe," Sasuke muttered, as he absently stroked Mikomi's ears while she slept in his lap.

Naruto turned to him with a grimace, his eyes slitted. "I bet you couldn't do any better, bastard."

Sasuke only rolled his eyes slightly. Personally, he didn't think anything could amuse his smaller counterpart. On more than one occasion, Sasuke had caught Sasuke-chan glaring at him as the toddler clung to Naruto with his little fisted hands. His behavior only became worse when Sasuke tried to move closer to Naruto in any way. He actually started to wonder if his namesake wasn't a little imbalanced. In any case, Sasuke concluded that it was obviously a complete waste of Naruto's energy to try making the dour toddler happy, but of course, the idiot didn't want to give up, and Sasuke was actually too disinterested to push the point.

Naruto continued to torment the toddler, this time bouncing him on his lap and whistling a disjointed song that didn't seem to have any real rhythm or theme. It was only a matter of time, of course, before proverbial rainclouds collected over Sasuke-chan's head and the toddler began to cry at the top of his little lungs.

"Oh no," Naruto muttered under his breath, immediately ceasing his bouncing and pulling the toddler to his chest. "Don't cry on me, little guy. Shh…shhh…"

Naruto began to rock Sasuke-chan in his arms and Sasuke was surprised to hear the toddler's wails almost instantly subside into little, fretful whimpers and sniffles. Sasuke felt a peculiar warmth fill his chest at the sight of Naruto whispering into the toddler's furry ear, Sasuke-chan rubbing one of his wet cheeks instinctively against Naruto's chest.

Sasuke couldn't believe that this was the same dobe he'd grown up with – the same orphan who had no family of his own and no one to take care of. He seemed more mature somehow as he held that toddler and Sasuke was suddenly struck by how much Naruto had changed in the years they had been apart, even though he was essentially the same person at base.

Sasuke was never really one to become emotional about children or parenting, unless it had something to do with his family's bloody past, but as he watched Naruto and his…_their _child – a fact that he still found difficult to get used to – he felt more content than he'd felt in years.

Eventually, Sasuke-chan fell asleep, his little back rising and falling slowly, and Naruto looked up and noticed Sasuke staring at him. Their eyes caught and Naruto must have seen something in Sasuke's gaze because Naruto immediately looked away, his cheeks turning pink.

Naruto went uncharacteristically quiet and the atmosphere became decidedly tense between them. Sasuke, usually calm and cool in a crisis, found his heart pounding in his ears and his palms turning sweaty as he gripped the grass on either side of him. He looked away, suddenly wondering what to do or if he should do anything at all. He wasn't used to this sort of indecision when it came to making a move. If it was anyone but Naruto, he'd just get it over and done with or not do anything at all. With Naruto, however, everything was difficult and complicated, and just _more_.

When he dared to look back in Naruto's direction, the sunlight was framing his half-turned face, his blond hair blowing in the breeze. Sasuke stared at the enticing image before pulling his gaze away. Usually, he was oblivious to silence, but this time he couldn't help feeling a bit restless and awkward. It was only aggravated by the fact that Naruto had grown uncharacteristically quiet.

He couldn't help remembering how Naruto looked bathed in moonlight, his bangs stuck to his perspiring face, his burgundy eyes clouded with emotion as he gazed back at him. That look alone had been enough to spur Sasuke on, and he had taken what he hadn't even known he had wanted, plunging into Naruto's depths and drowning in the feel of him. Sasuke shook his head, biting his lip and staring at something totally unremarkable on the ground in order to control his sudden want for the blond. It was uncomfortable, and a bit sudden, but it wasn't the first time he'd had to deal with these feelings in the past months.

Sasuke shook his head, needing to break the silence, and he was pleased his voice sounded as monotonous as ever. "You're a good mother… dobe."

Naruto looked back at him with astoundingly blue eyes, his cheeks still flushed, but now he was frowning. Instead of taking it for the compliment it was meant to be, he retorted in his typically defensive way, raising his voice unnecessarily to the point where it was almost abrasive to the ears. "I'm still a _guy_, asshole!"

Of course Naruto had taken it the wrong way, and he'd completely broken his peaceful, enticing image from just moments before. Sasuke frowned at him in exasperation, but then smirked, deciding to goad Naruto further into more familiar, less awkward territory. "Says the person who just gave birth."

"Teme!" Naruto looked absolutely livid, although he couldn't move around as much as he would have probably liked to due to the sleeping toddler in his arms. "I'm more man than you'll ever be!"

"Hn," Sasuke grunted, confidence slowly restoring. This was something he could handle. It didn't matter that Naruto's cheeks had flushed in his anger, his eyes brightening with inner fire that always left Sasuke feeling a bit breathless, something tugging uncomfortably at his core.

Sasuke glanced away, the toddler in his lap shifting in her sleep with a soft whine before she found a better position. A gentle breeze swept past, pushing his bangs into his face, but he paid them no mind. He could feel Naruto watching him.

"Sasuke…"

Sasuke glanced back and Naruto stared at him, his cheeks still flushed, his lips parted around words he clearly couldn't say. Sasuke swallowed, but didn't move otherwise. Naruto's expression was strange, determined, and Sasuke found his heart beat speeding up in anticipation. He knew the dobe would act, and he would let him, because he knew what he wanted and the thought of it was far from unpleasant. Naruto breathed in and closed his mouth, biting his lip for a moment. Sasuke couldn't help staring at it and Naruto caught on, his adam's apple falling and rising again around a swallow.

Sasuke wasn't surprised when Naruto's fingers found his cheek, the calloused pads trailing lightly against his skin before his warm palm followed, pressing against his jaw. It was like he was mapping out the contours of his face, trying to remember it by touch alone. It felt strange, but nice, and Sasuke stared at him as the fingers danced across his skin, before Naruto's thumb swiped across his bottom lip. Naruto's pupils dilated and he licked his lips before leaning in, his expression open but cautious as if Sasuke was some sort of irritable cat who could turn on him at any moment. Sasuke couldn't help smirking a bit at Naruto's fear, and the other scowled when he noticed, his nails digging into Sasuke's cheek for a moment to admonish him. "Bastard."

Even after everything that had happened, Naruto was anxious. Sasuke denied that he was too, of course, which was a feat given that his heart was racing in his rib cage and his palms were sweating on his lap as Naruto leaned closer until he could practically count each individual eyelash on his lowered lids. Sasuke closed his eyes when it hurt to focus, and then there was no space between them.

Naruto's lips were supple and chapped, and he tasted vaguely of ramen. Normally this would have turned Sasuke off, but he found he didn't particularly mind as he tilted his head and opened his mouth, sliding his tongue between Naruto's lips which had parted invitingly around a hitched breath and a sigh. His mouth was hotter and sweeter than he'd expected, and Sasuke suddenly found himself struggling to breathe properly as Naruto's lips moved clumsily against his.

Naruto whined a bit in the back of his throat and buried his fingers in Sasuke's soft hair, pulling him closer, needing to affirm that this was real. That Sasuke was really here, moving his tongue against his, gasping against his mouth as if breathing was overrated, as if he needed this kiss as much as Naruto did. Sasuke tasted like green tea and Naruto couldn't get enough of it, especially when the dark-haired nin tilted his head and deepened the kiss, mapping out his mouth with his hot tongue as if he was systematically marking his territory, claiming it for his own.

When Sasuke eventually pulled away, his hot breath fanning across Naruto's swollen lips in short, shallow pants. Naruto felt bereft, leaning forward to pull him back with a muttered, "wait," hoping he didn't sound as needy as he felt.

He nipped at Sasuke's smooth bottom lip, clenching his fingers at the nape of his neck and pulling him back until their lips were moving against each other again.

To Naruto's relief, Sasuke didn't resist, but leaned closer on his own, and Naruto gasped appreciatively when he felt the other's pale hand slide up his lower back, dragging his fingers along the sensitive skin beneath his jacket. Naruto shifted in an attempt to get closer, and Sasuke reciprocated, leaning forward, but then the toddler in Naruto's lap squirmed fretfully and moments later, he began to cry.

He felt Sasuke stiffen and Naruto inwardly cursed. They both pulled away a bit, panting against each other's lips, their foreheads touching. Naruto sighed, trying to get himself under control as Sasuke-chan's cry grew into an outright wail, complete with a high, hoarse voice that was clearly meant to communicate deep discomfort.

"Sorry," Naruto muttered and he leaned back, reluctantly disentangling his fingers from Sasuke's hair and frustratedly turning his attention down to the irritable kit in his lap.

Sasuke grunted, but didn't say anything as Naruto tended to the crying toddler. Sasuke struggled to compose himself, but he couldn't help feeling irritated at his son's poor timing. He narrowed his eyes as the babe continued to writhe and scream, even as Naruto picked him up and bounced him in his arms, cooing to him nonsensically. He wouldn't be surprised if the irascible toddler had merely started making a scene just to regain his 'mother's' attention at his 'father's' expense.

Naruto glanced back at him, looking a bit exasperated as well, but for the soft smile that tugged at his swollen lips, and much against his better judgment, Sasuke's irritation dulled in the face of it. Even now, he wanted to resume their previous activities and the force of that need was a bit disconcerting. He involuntarily licked his lips, still tasting ramen, and he could feel a line of heat go straight through him.

Sasuke decided in that moment that finding a space for he and Naruto to be alone was absolutely imperative. He would not be thwarted by a mere child.

…

"Well, that was…interesting," Sakura stated, her eyes still wide at the public display of affection she had just witnessed between her two former teammates. She suddenly found herself glad Karin wasn't anywhere in the vicinity – luckily, she was still up in her room. The girl would have probably blown a gasket and Sakura would have had to incapacitate her again. Sakura nearly smirked at that. Too bad.

She glanced over at Hinata, who was sitting beside her on the house's front porch, to find Hinata's usually pale face as red as a tomato.

"They look…" Hinata paused and looked away from the two boys out on the grass as Naruto continued to fuss with an ill-tempered Sasuke-chan and the older Sasuke watched on with a stoic frown tugging at his lips. "Good together."

Sakura noticed Hinata's somewhat sad expression and frowned sympathetically, before placing a hand on Hinata's knee. "Are you alright?"

"Yes," Hinata answered, smiling a bit to prove her case, even though it still looked a bit shaky. "It's just…they really do love each other, don't they?"

Sakura thought about it as she continued to watch the pair out on the grass. Naruto was now feeding Sasuke-chan with his bottle and Mikomi had woken up to try to climb up Sasuke's arm, giggling all the way. Sakura smiled a bit, although the scene also made her feel a bit wistful.

"Yeah, I think they do." Sakura let out a small sigh. "Kami-sama, I never would have seen it coming though…what with the way they were always at each other's throats back in our genin days."

"Hm," Hinata intoned thoughtfully. "Do you think that they'd had feelings for each other, even then?"

Sakura's eyes widened, but she thought about it. "Maybe…and maybe they didn't realize what those feelings were. It could explain all the tense moments and hurt feelings." Sakura let out a small breath and rested her elbows on her knees, placing her chin into her hands. "Knowing how stubborn and thick-headed the two of them are, that's very possible."

Hinata smiled a bit at that, although her eyes still looked a bit sad. "Are _you_ alright, Sakura?"

Sakura was startled a bit by the quiet question as she looked back at the other girl. Hinata only watched her earnestly.

"Why wouldn't I be?" She spoke almost a bit too quickly, but she tried to keep her facial expression sincere.

"Well, I know you loved Sasuke-kun before he left the village," Hinata explained sweetly.

"Oh, Sasuke." Sakura let out a breath of relief she hadn't known she'd been holding. "I haven't felt that way about Sasuke since Naruto came back from training. It was a childhood crush. Besides, I didn't know who Sasuke was back then. We were all so young, and I was too naïve to see how much Sasuke was hurting or even why he was hurting. It's not hard for me to see in hindsight that if anything had come of my crush, it wouldn't have been a very healthy relationship, for either of us."

"Since Naruto came back?" Hinata asked perceptively.

Sakura stiffened a bit and inwardly cursed Hinata for being so insightful. Although she really shouldn't have felt bad toward the girl since she was being very sweet and understanding about it all.

"I think of Naruto as a brother now," Sakura replied hesitantly, which was true. She did think of Naruto as a brother, but that was only when she'd realized that his childhood crush on her was gone and that he'd obviously moved on.

It took her a while to realize that her feelings for him had changed after he'd come back from his two year training with Jiraiya. When he'd come back, he'd looked so different and admittedly, she'd found herself slowly falling for him, even when his personality had been revealed to be practically the same. Without Sasuke there, she'd been able to see Naruto in a whole new light. He was good looking in his own way, but more importantly, he was a good person and she had grown to believe in him. At the same time, however, she began to get an inkling that Naruto was more determined than even she had been to get Sasuke back, and she had started to wonder. Although she had never gone as far as thinking there was anything romantic between the two.

But watching the two now, she couldn't see them in any other way, which was strange in and of itself.

Something warm enveloped her hand and Sakura looked down to see Hinata's hand on hers. They both shared an understanding smile.

"A kunoichi's life is strange, isn't it?" Sakura asked.

Hinata nodded with a small smile. "It is."

"I'm sure we'll find our own shinobi in shining armor someday," Sakura stated wistfully.

Just then somebody yelled and they both spotted Kiba trotting toward them across the grass, only dressed in a white towel around his waist and holding a messy pile of his clothing in one arm. He was followed shortly after by Juugo and Suigetsu, all of them in different states of undress.

Hinata's face bloomed pink again as Kiba stopped in front of her, still dripping a bit from his spiky locks. Akamaru shook his shaggy fur and splashed some water over Sakura and Hinata.

"Miss me?" Kiba asked cheekily, mostly looking down at an embarrassed Hinata.

Sakura wiped some dog water off of her face before saving a speechless Hinata from having to reply. "Have fun in the onsen?"

"Yep! Now I'm good and squeaky clean." Kiba stretched a bit, his well-toned muscles flexing in a way that Hinata was surely meant to notice. Sakura raised an amused eyebrow.

As Hinata continued to smile bashfully, Sakura spotted Suigetsu stopping beside Sasuke and Naruto and chatting with them. The two eventually stood up with the toddlers in their arms and walked back with Suigetsu and Juugo toward the porch.

"Hey, Hinata-chan," Naruto began when he got close enough, his cheeks notably flushed. "Could you watch over Sasuke-chan and Mikomi while Sasuke and I go to the onsen?"

"Sure, Naruto-kun," Hinata replied sweetly, opening her arms to take Sasuke-chan out of Naruto's grasp.

"Give Mikomi to me," Sakura offered, standing up to take the toddler out of Sasuke's arms. "We'll watch them until you guys get back."

"Thanks!" Naruto replied, sounding perfectly cheerful, although his eyes were darting about nervously.

Sakura smiled. Naruto and Sasuke were just about to turn around and leave when she called out teasingly, "If your earlier display on the grass was any indication, I'm sure you two will have loads of fun!"

Kiba sent her a confused look.

Suigetsu looked intrigued, although he seemed to understand the general gist of it as he leered. "Something we missed?"

Naruto only proceeded to stiffen and redden until he was practically the same shade as a tomato, but Sasuke surprised them all by smirking, and Naruto caught the look.

As Sasuke proceeded to walk off with a towel he had procured from the porch hanging casually over his shoulder, Naruto spluttered indignantly as he ran after him.

"Bastard! Don't just smirk like that!"

Sakura and Suigetsu actually laughed, but Kiba frowned a bit, muttering his new mantra 'too much information' under his breath. Hinata worked to cover a smile as she shared a look with Sakura.

"Don't make any more babies, boss!" Suigetsu yelled before Sasuke and Naruto made it to the safety of the trees.

Naruto visibly stiffened, but he didn't turn around, he was probably too embarrassed or incensed. Sasuke just raised his hand in acknowledgement as he walked away, as if what Suigetsu had said was a matter of fact, before he boldly pulled an immobile Naruto by the hand into the forest and out of sight.

Suigetsu snickered and Sakura couldn't keep herself from laughing a bit as well. Kiba was still muttering with a deep frown on his face as Akamaru whimpered. Hinata's lips twitched into a small smile as she gazed in the direction the two boys had gone.

"Karin's not gonna like this," Suigetsu quipped, looking quite pleased.

"It'd probably be best not to talk about it," Kiba stated, looking ill. "Ever."

Juugo nodded in agreement, his face reddening a few shades.

Suigetsu just shrugged, already looking a bit bored as he turned to go inside.

Kiba and Juugo followed, leaving Hinata and Sakura alone on the front porch once again, except now, they had the sleeping toddlers for company. A small breeze blew across the grass in waves and the trees rustled peacefully in the silence that remained.

"Do you think Naruto will be able to go back to the village?" Hinata asked, her voice somber.

"I hope so," Sakura replied. "At least Tsunade-shishou should be able to find some way."

Hinata nodded. "I hope it's soon. I don't think Naruto can be completely happy away from Konoha."

Sakura glanced at her thoughtfully. "No, I suppose not, but at least he has us."

Hinata smiled and nodded, before softly adding, "And Sasuke-kun."

…

Naruto bit his kiss-bruised lip as he followed Sasuke through the forest, his heart beating a mile a minute. He watched the back of Sasuke's head, his sweaty hand securely clasped in his pale one. Naruto's eyes involuntarily traced the small amount of pale skin at the juncture of the nin's neck and shoulder as the fabric of his light shirt moved up and down with his movements, and he could feel the heat infuse his cheeks once again.

Sasuke, for his part, remained absolutely silent as they walked, never looking back at Naruto for even a second. His grip on his hand was still as tight as ever though, never letting Naruto go, which admittedly sent a distinct thrill through him that made him feel both excited and anxious.

Naruto hadn't been to a public bath with Sasuke since they were children, and it hadn't bothered him back then, but now…now it was different. He could sense the anticipation building between them as frost began to cover the ground, which later gave way to real snow, and he couldn't help the flush that infused his cheeks.

It wasn't long before they got to the onsen, which was a natural hot spring surrounded by an open clearing in the midst of inch-deep snow. Naruto had to admit, it looked inviting, although it was the prospect of sharing the bath with Sasuke that was the real thrill. After that kiss earlier, he could barely think straight, and he couldn't help remembering how it felt to have Sasuke moving against him, burning inside of him, all those months ago. His mouth grew dry and he shook his head, attempting to ignore the thrum of need that pulsed through his body like a steady heartbeat.

Sasuke finally let go of his hand, Naruto almost instantly missing the contact, and the slightly taller nin looked back at him, the heat in his dark gaze unmistakable.

_The sharingan-wielder only has to look at you and you are already in heat, _the deep, mocking voice reverberated from within him, and Naruto inwardly scowled.

_Shut up, Fox._

_You mortals are so predictable, and easy to mold, _the Fox sneered, and Naruto could practically see the way its sharp teeth were glinting in the dark as it smiled. _It will be your undoing_.

Naruto swallowed, suddenly anxious, but Sasuke approached him silently, his hand going to the zipper on Naruto's orange jacket, before sliding it down. Naruto shivered at the contact, and concentrated on pushing thoughts of the Fox's taunts out of his mind. Sasuke's gaze was burning into him, and it made it easier to forget his concerns. He didn't protest as his jacket fell to the snowy ground, leaving his torso only clad in the mesh shirt he wore underneath. Sasuke stared at him hungrily and that was all the impetus Naruto needed to finish the job, grabbing the bottom of his mesh shirt and pulling it over his head, letting it join his jacket on the cold ground. He could feel more than see Sasuke's eyes rake over him, and he shivered more from that than the cold air, goose bumps raising over his skin.

Sasuke raised a hand and traced a cold thumb over one of Naruto's nipples which had hardened in the crisp air. Naruto shuddered and Sasuke's gaze darkened, his pale cheeks gaining color as he watched him, pinching the sensitive pebbled flesh of his nipple between his thumb and forefinger.

"Sasuke…" Naruto breathed, needing more, his body practically thrumming, and he leaned forward, licking the salty flesh along Sasuke's throat. Sasuke's caress faultered and he grunted, his hands coming up to grasp at Naruto's bare shoulders. Naruto pushed his fingers beneath Sasuke's shirt, feeling the hot flesh beneath as he slid his teeth along Sasuke's jugular, before nuzzling at his jaw, breathing in his scent.

For a moment, Sasuke stiffened, his pulse racing beneath Naruto's lips and tongue, but then he was moving, dipping his head and capturing Naruto's mouth with his, pulling him forcefully against him until their mutual arousal was more than apparent. Naruto gasped and ground his hips, needing more, and needing to get out of his pants which had suddenly become too tight and too hot. Sasuke seemed to agree as he practically devoured his mouth, and he pulled back just enough to undo Naruto's fly and pull at the slightly elastic waistband until his pants were sliding down his legs. Naruto was completely naked then, but he felt hot in the cold air, his skin on fire as Sasuke's hands trailed over the planes of his back, before cold fingers slipped over his entrance and Naruto arched against him in surprise, gasping when his throbbing erection rubbed against Sasuke's constrained one. Sasuke gasped as well, biting Naruto's bottom lip for good measure, before swiping at the soreness with his tongue.

"These need to come off," Naruto murmured desperately against Sasuke's lips as he fumbled for Sasuke's fly.

Sasuke merely grunted, before doing the deed for him, sliding his pants down and kicking them away, then toeing off his sandals and pulling his shirt off for good measure. Naruto stared at the pale plains of his body for a moment, taking in his perfect form, before he growled in appreciation. He pressed forward and rutted against him, the feel of Sasuke's bare skin against his almost too much for his waning control. Their cocks met and he bit his lip, tasting blood as Sasuke hissed in reaction, both of their bodies shuddering. Sasuke's fingers found his entrance again and Naruto stiffened, dropping his forehead to the pale nin's sweaty shoulder, unable to swallow his moan.

"I'm going to…" Sasuke stated hoarsely against his ear, and Naruto thought about protesting, but merely nodded. He wanted it too much.

The first finger slid in past the tight ring of muscle and Naruto hissed at the pain, digging his fingernails into Sasuke's chest. The first time Sasuke had done this, Naruto had barely felt anything under the haze of Kyuubi's chakra, but now he could feel everything, and the discomfort of it made him sweat, his skin heating with slight embarrassment as Sasuke touched him in such an intimate place.

Sasuke, for his part, could barely control himself as his second joint slid past the tight ring of muscle, his mind instantly supplying him with memories of how it felt to be buried in that heat. He bit his lips and grunted, knowing that he had to go slower this time, because although Naruto would surely deny it, he was obviously in pain from just the one finger, his body trembling tellingly and his breath hitching. He was no longer protected by the Fox's chakra cloak, so Sasuke knew he had to be careful. He was far from an expert on sex, but he was aware of the mechanics well enough, and he knew preparation was key. He couldn't just thrust inside of him like he wanted to.

Sasuke pulled his finger out slowly before adding another and Naruto tensed, but he didn't protest as he slid both digits back inside. Sasuke's cock twitched at the sensation of Naruto's tight heat accepting him and Naruto mewled, panting and mouthing the flesh of Sasuke's shoulder in a manner that was highly detrimental to his already waning control. Sasuke bit his lip and pushed his fingers apart, stretching the tight muscle. Naruto stiffened, letting out a pained gasp, but he didn't pull away. If anything he pushed himself closer to Sasuke, nuzzling the side of Sasuke's neck with his whiskered cheek and pressing the length of their bodies together, involuntarily sending pleasurable friction along the underside of Sasuke's cock. Sasuke grunted. He knew he wouldn't last much longer. Not if Naruto continued to move against him the way he was, making those sounds, and smelling like musk and arousal.

"Ah!" Naruto gasped and shivered as Sasuke's fingers slid over something that was entirely the opposite of painful.

"Does it hurt?" Sasuke questioned, his voice uncharacteristically strained, his fingers faltering.

"No," Naruto denied, his voice rough. He thrust back, in search of more of that feeling. "I need more. Just –"

Sasuke thrust in and Naruto stiffened as the digits brushed against that spot again. "Shit!" He panted, the feeling going straight to his cock and it throbbed warningly. "I can't…you need to…" he babbled incoherently, only mildly alarmed by the strength of his pleasure as Sasuke's fingers slid over it again, sending his thoughts in a bit of a fog. He gasped again, rolling his hips against Sasuke's as the tightening feeling coiled in his stomach. But then suddenly, Sasuke's fingers were gone and Naruto whined at the loss, but Sasuke swallowed it with a harsh kiss, and Naruto kissed back, unable to think clearly, before Sasuke pulled away, panting against his swollen lips.

"Get in the water," Sasuke stated, and Naruto stared at him, too far gone to disobey, Sasuke's heated gaze making him completely compliant.

He slipped into the hot water, and it burned across his sensitive skin, almost sending him over the edge just by the temperature change alone, but then Sasuke was behind him and Naruto braced himself against edge of the spring, the flat of Sasuke's hot tongue sliding along his shoulder blades as he leaned over him from behind. Naruto sighed, dropping his head. He knew that if Sasuke touched his swollen cock right now, he'd be completely lost, but instead, Sasuke nudged his legs apart and pressed something altogether thicker than his finger against his entrance. Naruto sucked in a breath and Sasuke moved forward, his breathing hitched as he slowly filled him. The water was soft and it aided in the process, allowing Sasuke to move forward steadily until he was buried to the hilt.

Naruto swallowed and shifted, getting used to the sensation, but Sasuke let out a harsh breath as if he was in pain, before he pulled back a bit and thrust in again. Naruto cried out, unable to control the shudders that wracked through his body. Sasuke had managed to brush against that sensitive spot deep inside of him once again, except this time, the effect was compounded by the feeling of Sasuke's cock filling him to the brim.

Sasuke was trembling as he thrust back into Naruto's tight heat, and he had to bite his lip. Naruto was moaning and writhing, his tan back arching, the interplay of muscles clear under the dappled light of the forest. It was one of the most enticing things Sasuke had ever seen and he couldn't help thrusting in faster, their flesh slapping together as the hot water splashed over the edge of the spring.

"Yes, Sasuke…" Naruto panted, babbling now that he was no longer in pain and thrusting back against Sasuke, the pleasure burning and coiling inside of him every time Sasuke managed to hit that spot. "Right there. Shit…faster…_yes_…"

Suddenly, Naruto heard deep laughter reverberate from the back of his mind, and the heat in his core spread until it consumed him, burning his skin and making him cry out in pain. He barely had time to panic before the Fox took over and he couldn't think anymore.

Naruto screamed, and Sasuke tensed and opened his eyes just in time to see red chakra suddenly engulfing Naruto and racing toward him, threatening to scorch him as well. He cursed and activated his sharingan just before it reached him instantly transporting him into Naruto's mind. Naruto was still beneath him, although now strands of Kyuubi's fiery chakra were wrapping possessively around his naked form. Sasuke immediately tried to push the chakra away with his hands, but just at that moment Naruto thrust back against him, effectively burying Sasuke inside of him, and he was hit with a wave of pleasure that was incomparable to anything he had ever felt before. The sensation was almost overwhelming as stars danced across his vision. Naruto's moan was louder than before as well, sounding almost feral, his taut muscles shaking in ecstasy.

Sasuke placed his hands on Naruto's shoulders, fighting the feel of Naruto's heat all around him as he concentrated. Then he looked on in satisfaction as the Kyuubi's chakra bubbled away, leaving Naruto's body untouched once again.

Sasuke grunted and thrust forward one last time into that tight heat, unable to control himself, and the next moment, his entire body shuddered around an earth-shattering orgasm. Naruto followed seconds later, crying out and trembling before he collapsed to the ground. Sasuke followed him down, lying half on top of him, breathing heavily. When Sasuke opened his eyes, they were back in the onsen, Naruto splayed halfway over the edge as Sasuke leaned over him, the lower halves of their bodies still submerged in the hot water.

Sasuke pulled away, panting, and he winced a bit as he slipped out of Naruto, but Naruto didn't move. Sasuke stared at him, heart racing, and turned him over. Naruto didn't react, but Sasuke fumbled for the pulse point just below his jaw and let out a quick breath when he felt it jump back against his fingers.

Sasuke breathed out deeply, attempting to calm his racing heart, and wondering at how much more powerful the sensations of their coupling were when he and Naruto had entered Naruto's mind. He suspected that in that place, he was able to not only feel his own pleasure but Naruto's as well.

Sasuke frowned and leaned forward, cupping Naruto's whiskered cheek, but the nin didn't wake. The Fox had managed to put Naruto out cold, and Sasuke had been slow to react to the threat. He realized that Naruto's strong emotions must have weakened the seal, allowing the Kyuubi greater access. It was a discomfiting thought. Sasuke knew he would have to be a lot more vigilant, especially if he wanted to do this with Naruto again.

The Fox was growing bold, and Sasuke would have to put it in its place. It seemed to think that he was simply a pawn. Sasuke's eyes narrowed, his sharingan spiraling threateningly. He would have to show it just how mistaken it was.

…..

AN: I totally rewrote this chapter as of 7/24/12, because the original sex scene was absolutely horrific. I hope it is better now than the crap it was before…seriously. DX


	14. Regaining Control

Disclaimer: I still don't own Naruto, and I'm beginning to think I never will.

AN: Parts of this have been rewritten as of 7/26/12. I hope you enjoy.

Chapter 13: Regaining Control

"Don't worry Sasuke-chan," Sakura cooed as the black-haired baby continued to cry his little lungs out. "Mommy's gonna be home soon!"

But Sasuke-chan only paused for a moment before crying harder, tears streaking his splotchy cheeks and mucus exiting his nose. She wiped at it with a cloth she kept on her shoulder and bounced him up and down in her arms. She frowned as nothing seemed to calm him down and glanced at Hinata as Mikomi began crying from the confines of her arms. Hinata only sent her a look of confusion as Mikomi refused to quiet down, even as a bottle was shoved to her lips.

Sakura had tried everything, but Sasuke-chan had now been crying for over fifteen minutes and now that his sister had joined in, she wondered if there wasn't something wrong. Feeling worried, she looked out the front window of the house where she and Hinata had taken to watching over the babies. She searched for Sasuke or Naruto's return at the edge of the forest, but she saw nothing as the sun began to set.

"What's wrong with them?"

Sakura noticed Kiba at the bottom of the stairs, having just come back downstairs after taking a nap with Akamaru in his room. He looked a little disturbed by the babies' persistent wails, and he eyed them both warily.

Sakura shook her head, nonplussed, and Hinata frowned as Mikomi's cry grew heartier, almost as if she was in some sort of pain. Hinata's eyes widened a fraction and Sakura could see her activate her Byakugan.

"What is it, Hinata?" Sakura questioned, stiffening when Sasuke-chan grabbed onto her shirt front with his tiny hands and wailed louder.

Hinata's eyes wavered, and she shook her head. "There is a thin line of Kyuubi's chakra entering their bodies."

"From Naruto?" Kiba asked, his eyes wide. "But he's really far away!"

Hinata remained silent, frowning.

"Something must be wrong with him," Sakura stated, looking out the window again to see if either of them were getting back. "The Fox must have taken over somehow."

"I should look for them," Kiba said, making a move for the front door.

Suddenly, the noise stopped and both toddlers calmed, stopping Kiba in his tracks. Sakura and Hinata looked down at the toddlers in their arms who had both passed out, completely unconscious.

Sakura was about to open her mouth in alarm, but Hinata interrupted her. "They're fine. Their chakra has stabilized and the Kyuubi's is gone."

Sakura looked back out the window, wondering if Kiba should in fact, go out and track Sasuke and Naruto down. She frowned. She thought Sasuke would be able to control the Kyuubi as long as he was near Naruto. They could have been separated, although with the way the two were acting before going to the onsen she couldn't believe that would be the case. There was still no sign of them.

"I'm going," Kiba muttered.

But Sakura stopped him. "No, wait."

"What?" Kiba sent her a befuddled look.

"Just…" Sakura didn't know why she was telling him to wait, but something in her gut told her that she would have to trust Sasuke with this. "Wait ten more minutes. Okay?"

Kiba just shook his head, looking a bit frustrated, but he deflated and moved to sit at the table beside Hinata. They all waited in silence, Sakura staring out the window as she trailed her fingers through Sasuke-chan's hair soothingly. The toddler fidgeted at the touch with a small pout still pulling at his lips, but he remained asleep.

Almost exactly ten minutes later, Sakura saw a strangely shaped silhouette exiting the tree line and moving toward the house. It took her a moment to realize that it was Sasuke carrying a half-naked Naruto over his shoulder. Naruto looked unconscious, with only a small towel wrapped around his waist as if he hadn't had the means or the wherewithal to get dressed, and Sakura frowned. As she had suspected, something had happened.

She moved to open the door and Sasuke stepped over the threshold a moment later. He barely even looked at her or any of the other occupants of the room as he moved passed her toward the bedroom he shared with Naruto.

"Sasuke." Sakura stopped him with a hand on his free arm before he could pass her. "What happened? The babies were crying uncontrollably and now they're both unconscious." She eyed Naruto's lax form, his blond head lolling on Sasuke's back as his arms lay limply over his broad shoulders.

Sasuke only looked over at Hinata and glanced down at the baby in her arms as well. "Are they alright?"

Hinata nodded. "Yes, Kyuubi – "

"I know," Sasuke replied tersely. "Take care of them for a while."

He turned and moved to take his charge into their shared room, not even looking back.

"What're you doing?" Sakura asked, a bit frustrated with his aloof behavior. She was worried and she deserved to know what was going on.

Sasuke barely looked back at her from over his shoulder. "A test."

He walked into their room, but before he closed the door behind him he stated, "Don't bother us until I'm done."

And with that, the door was closed completely.

"Okay, but make sure you two are out for dinner!" Sakura exclaimed, barely containing her irritation.

Sakura frowned when there was no reply and she shared a look with Kiba, who was scowling. She honestly couldn't believe she had ever had a crush on Sasuke, and that she'd ever thought his attitude was attractive. He was such a jerk!

She pulled the sleeping Sasuke-chan closer to her so that he curled against her chest and absently sucked on his thumb. Then she sat down at the table, prepared to wait for the rest of the household's occupants to come back as well. She would feel better once she told Kakashi about this, at least.

…

Ino gasped and opened her eyes as the images from the crow she had possessed transmitted back into her mind. She shook her head in disbelief.

"What's wrong?" She looked behind her into Shikamaru's eyes as he held her up by the armpits and she leaned back against him. She thought she had grown used to the contact ever since Shikamaru had been assigned to take care of her body while she was possessing someone or something else from the time they were genin, but it was still always a bit of a shock every time she came back into her body.

She shook her head as she once again remembered what the crow had seen while under the influence of her jutsu. She couldn't believe it.

"Ino…" Shikamaru mumbled, actually looking concerned, which was unusual given that he was usually too lazy to emote.

"I saw something that I don't think really happened," Ino replied as she stood up. Shikamaru let go and stared at her, and Chouji stepped forward from where he had been resting against a tree.

"What was it?" Chouji asked, eating some chips from a bag he had pilfered.

Ino frowned. "It was Sasuke…" she paused, wondering if she should even believe what she'd seen. "carrying an unconscious Naruto on his back."

Shikamaru frowned and his eyebrows knit together. "Are you sure?"

"No," Ino replied shaking her head and rubbing at her temples. "But we should probably check it out anyway. After all, Naruto has been missing for a long time and Sakura's probably still looking for him."

Shikamaru and Chouji shared a look.

"Fine," Shikamaru nodded although he already sounded tired. "Which way?"

…..

Naruto woke up blearily to a strange feeling between his legs and a warm tightness in his abdomen that wasn't entirely unpleasant. He squirmed a bit, attempting to stretch his limbs and rid himself of some of that strange feeling, but not only did the sensation persist, he couldn't exactly move his legs. With a fuzzy vision, he raised his head a bit and looked down, receiving the shock of his life.

There, between his legs was Sasuke, his tongue licking the slit of his very naked and very erect cock. Naruto nearly choked on his own tongue with the force of his gasp.

"Sasuke…what?"

Sasuke merely looked up at him and continued his ministrations, the sharingan pinwheeling to life in his eyes. Naruto could only watch Sasuke's tongue flit in and out as it lubricated the sensitive head of his cock. With one particularly good lick, Naruto's world was almost sent tumbling upside down and he let out a long moan that didn't sound like it came from his own throat. The muscles of his stomach bunched and he began to pant, absolutely speechless as Sasuke silently licked along his slit, only stimulating the same track of flesh again and again until it almost became too much and yet not enough.

Naruto's head rolled back and his fingers clenched against the tatami matt on the floor. He could feel pressure growing in his groin with nowhere to go.

"Sasuke…I need…" Naruto panted, his voice strained.

Sasuke, however, ignored him and only continued to run his hot tongue along the same path, his heated sharingan never wavering from Naruto's face. Naruto's cock began to throb in earnest and he bit his lip.

"Bastard…" He attempted to thrust into Sasuke's mouth, his back arching and his hips rising just enough to interrupt the movement of Sasuke's tongue.

Sasuke immediately pushed his arm down across Naruto's abdomen, pushing his hips back against the ground and securing his movements. His voice was husky but commanding. "Don't move."

"But…!" Naruto paused in his protest when Sasuke wrapped a warm hand around the base of his cock and took the whole shaft into his mouth. Naruto would have arched from the jolt of pleasure that raced through his body at that moment, but Sasuke's weight was still holding him down. So he only managed to twitch and gasp instead. "Ah…fuck!"

Sasuke's lips tightened around him, but so did the ring of his fingers at the base, and even through Naruto's pleasure-filled mind he could still deduce enough to conclude that he wouldn't be able to release if Sasuke's grip stayed so tight. Naruto growled as Sasuke continued to suck him off mercilessly, all while the pressure built to a point where he thought he might be torn in half.

"Sasuke…bastard!" Naruto gasped through gritted teeth, strange jolts of unreleased energy shaking his body and almost burning his insides. "I can't…!"

But Sasuke didn't reply and that's when Naruto got angry.

He could feel his skin grow hot and the small hairs all along his nude body prickle as if static energy was haloing him and crackling in the air around him. He could feel his nails dig into the tatami beneath him and his lengthening teeth pricking his lower lip.

Sasuke's eyes narrowed at this and his sharingan spun with more ferocity. Naruto felt something pushing against him, as if it was some unknown force of nature trying to enter his body from all sides and take away the crackling static electricity. And he didn't like it.

He bucked immediately against the foreign force and Sasuke had to stop sucking him off as Naruto arched his back and growled. Naruto tried to get up as soon as he realized the force had backed off, his mind still hazy with frustration and need, but Sasuke's weight landed on his chest and stomach and he was forced back onto the floor. Sasuke's clothed thighs locked his hips down and his hands came up to grab his cheeks.

Naruto was forced to look right up into Sasuke eyes, and suddenly he wasn't in the bedroom anymore. He was surrounded by bubbling chakra on the cold, wet floor of the Kyuubi's prison and Sasuke was still on top of him. The bubbling chakra was slowly receding from him in every direction, but Naruto still felt unfulfilled and frustrated. He bucked wildly up against Sasuke once again, brushing his arousal against him and realizing with a jolt of pleasure that his captor was in a similar state.

He vaguely heard a rumbling voice in his head that sounded like Kyuubi, but he ignored it as something else pushed through him and gave him control.

Naruto keened, a sound that was altogether inhuman but filled with meaning. He reached up for Sasuke, his skin no longer tingling.

"Sasuke…you…"

He locked eyes with the sharingan and Sasuke pulled back, pulling his own pants down and throwing them across the wet floor, before doing the same with his shirt . Next thing Naruto knew, Sasuke's sweat-slicked bare skin was rubbing along the length of his naked torso, a wet tongue tracing the contour of his neck as hands slid along his sides, leaving trails of fire in their wake. Naruto leaned forward and bit into Sasuke's shoulder, before licking away the hurt, wrapping his arms around Sasuke's torso desperately and digging his fingers into his pale back.

Naruto was gasping for breath and moaning when Sasuke eventually pulled back, looking equally winded, his usually pale face flushed. Naruto's chest rose and fell rapidly, staring at Sasuke blearily as the nin just watched him.

"Sasuke…I need…you can't just…" Naruto grasped for words, but his mind was too hazy with desire and something else. He couldn't think straight, but he knew what he needed at the moment, and he'd be damned if Sasuke didn't give him at least that.

Sasuke's lips found his and Naruto's mouth widened invitingly for the other's venturing tongue. He met it with his own, giving as good as he got, and once again, he rolled his body up against him insistently. Sasuke groaned into his mouth, his hot breath ghosting against his parted lips as he moved back.

Sasuke grabbed his ankles with both of his hands and pulled them over his pale shoulders, before sliding his body down so that the pits of his knees hooked over his pale shoulders. Sasuke reached over to his abandoned pants and riffled through one of the pockets for only a moment before pulling out a tube of something. Naruto could barely see what Sasuke was doing from his position, but it wasn't long before something cold slid into his entrance. He gasped and realized dazedly that it must have been Sasuke's fingers because there was more than one and they were scissoring the tight ring of muscle in an attempt to prepare him for what was to come.

Naruto shuddered in anticipation when one of the fingers brushed against that same sensitive spot inside of him. He tried to push into the touch to get more, but his position wouldn't allow it.

"Sasukeee…" he whined, his voice rough.

Sasuke answered by withdrawing his fingers, which Naruto prepared to protest until something more substantial entered him in their place and he was left moaning and squirming as Sasuke moved forward inside of him inch by inch.

The friction wasn't painful due to the cool lubricant, but it was just enough that Naruto felt twinges of pain and pleasure until Sasuke embedded himself all the way to the hilt. Sasuke was left panting over him, his eyes still crimson, but clearly overshadowed by lust and something else. They both made eye contact and paused for an intimate moment before Sasuke pulled out and slammed in again, this time hitting that spot just right. Naruto nearly saw white and his entire body shuddered from his head to his curling toes.

"Ah…more…!" he babbled, lost in the feel of it, his fingers scrabbling over the hard concrete beneath him as he tried to push back against him.

With every new thrust the pleasure built once again, coiling fire in his stomach, and he could tell he was nearing the edge. Stars dancing behind his tightly closed lids. With one last thrust, Naruto arched upward and released, his eyes shut and mouth open as his head lolled back in perfect ecstacy. He could feel his muscles contracting around Sasuke's cock and it wasn't long before Sasuke's entire body shuddered before he collapsed on top of him, letting Naruto's legs slid down until they were framing Sasuke's hips.

Both of them struggled to catch their breath, a languorous feeling of absolute contentment washing over Naruto like a warm blanket, and the next moment Naruto opened his eyes and to see that they were back in the bedroom. Sasuke was still panting against his ear as Naruto stroked a tan hand through the locks at the nape of Sasuke's neck.

"I didn't know…" Naruto breathed in. "You were such a pervert."

"Hn." Warm breath from Sasuke's almost sigh blew by his ear.

Naruto vaguely remembered that they had been in the Kyuubi's prison before he'd fallen unconscious and all the strange sensations that had run through his body before that. He knew, instinctively that something bad had happened, but he couldn't really remember what. "Did something happen with Kyuubi?"

Sasuke pulled back a bit, propping himself up on his elbows, but most of his body was still covering Naruto's, and Naruto couldn't help appreciating the feel of it. He was able to look up at him now, right into his black eyes. Sasuke raised a hand and caressed Naruto's cheek, the thumb rubbing the heated flesh there absentmindedly. Naruto unconsciously moved into the touch, even as he kept eye contact.

"Kyuubi had managed to take over back at the onsen," Sasuke informed him. "I had to make sure I could control it."

Naruto let out a frustrated breath, remembering how the Fox had taunted him before they had entered the water. "Damn Fox." Kyuubi was growing bolder, testing the waters and how much control it could garner. Naruto had to admit, even though he hated it, that Sasuke was probably the only person who could help keep the Fox from hurting Naruto and his kits. Then his eyes widened in alarm. "Did anything happen to the kits?"

"They're fine," Sasuke replied, sounding as if he could care less.

Naruto frowned, but for once, he decided not to push it. He knew Sasuke was only putting on a stoic front for show. He knew the bastard really did care for their lives, even if he insisted on pretending otherwise. It annoyed Naruto, but he was too tired and too calm and sated to argue the point.

He nearly jumped out of his skin, however, the moment someone knocked loudly on the door.

"It's time to eat dinner you two!" It was Sakura's voice, and then he could hear footsteps go away from the door shortly after her proclamation.

Sasuke sighed and moved to sit up, making Naruto gasp a bit when he felt Sasuke fully slide out of him. Sasuke threw a towel at him.

"Get cleaned and dressed."

Still too sated to care that Sasuke was being an asshole, Naruto blushed when he looked down where Sasuke was looking to see the mess on his stomach. He wiped it with the damp towel, got up, and then realized something was missing when he looked about.

"Sasuke…where are my clothes?"

…

Ino leapt onto a tree branch as she led her teammates in the direction the crow had seen Sasuke and Naruto walking and she stopped when she noticed something on the ground. She could feel Shikamaru and Chouji halt in the trees beside her.

She jumped lightly to the ground, right by a natural hotspring and picked up the offendingly orange clothing she had spotted. She turned around and showed it to her teammates.

"I think we're going the right way," she confirmed.

"Was Naruto naked?" Chouji asked, staring at the familiar clothes with wide eyes.

Ino blushed and nodded.

Shikamaru raised a delicate eyebrow and frowned, before sighing. "Let's continue."

Ino nodded and they all took off into the trees again.

…

Sakura, who was holding a very awake Sasuke-chan in one arm, just sat down at the table where a hibachi was grilling some meat in the middle as everyone else in the household had already begun digging into the meal.

Everyone except Sasuke and Naruto.

"Where are the new parents?" Kakashi, always the perceptive one, was the first to ask.

Sakura couldn't keep the blush from darkening her cheeks as she tried to avoid eye contact with either Hinata or Kiba. The types of noises they had heard coming from Naruto's room could not be misinterpreted for anything but one thing, and she swore that the realization of it had made Kiba throw up a little in his mouth, because he had gone through a violent coughing fit and was forced to leave the living room when the noises became louder and more rhythmic.

She didn't miss the knowing smirk that plastered itself across Suigetsu's face when he noticed her discomfort, or Karin's death glare, but she was relatively confident that the deranged kunoichi wouldn't dare say anything, not after Sakura's trick earlier.

Sakura was saved from answering Kakashi, however, when a smug looking Sasuke entered the room, followed by Naruto, who was notably wearing a pair of Sasuke's pants and no shirt. Naruto seemed to be grumbling something about bastards not being considerate, before he finally sat down at the table beside said bastard.

Kakashi raised an eyebrow as Karin's chopsticks loudly snapped in half from the other end of the table. "Have fun boys?"

Sasuke only smirked, but Naruto blushed and grimaced as he noticed everyone staring at them.

"Did you get it under control?" Sakura asked Sasuke pointedly.

He looked up at her evenly and nodded. Naruto glanced between them both in bemusement.

"Naruto-kun, would you like to feed Mikomi?" Hinata broke in, smiling at him warmly from her seat down the table.

"Ah, yeah, thanks!" Naruto replied brightly, leaning back and reaching for the giggling blond toddler in Hinata's arms.

He took Mikomi into his arms and grabbed a bottle of formula to feed her as he bounced her on his leg. He grinned at Sasuke when he noticed the nin watching him and the edges of Sasuke's lips pulled upward ever so slightly. Sakura's irritation with the dark-haired nin ebbed somewhat at the heart-wrenchingly domestic display.

"Sasuke, when are we going to leave?"

Naruto snapped his head up to see Karin watching Sasuke with an imploring look. Mikomi squirmed a bit in his arms, and Naruto frowned irritably.

Sasuke only looked at her, but didn't reply. Everyone at the table had stopped what they were doing to stare at her critically, but she defiantly ignored them, her red eyes locked on Sasuke.

"I thought you wanted to kill your brother," She continued. "We've been here for a while and Itachi hasn't come looking for the jinchuuriki." She paused to look in Naruto's direction with a slight scowl on her face. "We have no reason to stay here."

"Teme…!" Naruto growled and nearly stood up, but Sasuke's hand grabbed onto his arm and stayed him. Naruto bristled, unwilling to back down on this. "Sasuke isn't going anywhere!"

"You said it now, Karin." Suigetsu grinned as he folded his hands behind his head and sat back in his chair, eyeing the scene in obvious amusement.

Karin ignored him and continued to look at Sasuke imploringly.

Sakura clenched her fists and glared at Karin for all she was worth and she noticed out of the corner of her eye that Juugo looked uncomfortable as he eyed Naruto's tense form as he gripped Mikomi tightly against him. Sasuke wore a stone-cold expression as he regarded his 'team mate'. She could tell that, even after everything that had happened between him and Sasuke in the past few days, Naruto's abandonment issues were bubbling to the surface at Karin's careless words.

Sakura looked at Sasuke, urging him with her eyes to say something to put Karin in her place and allay Naruto's agitation. Sasuke's eyes flickered toward hers before narrowing as they turned back to Karin.

Just as Sasuke opened his mouth to speak, however, someone knocked on the door.

Everyone at the table turned toward the door, even Karin, as another knock sounded. Yamato got up and went to it to look through the peep hole. Then Sakura's eyes widened when she spied none other than Ino staring back at them through the front window.

"Ino?" Sakura gasped in alarm.

"Ino?" Naruto repeated, looking panicked.

But it was too late and Ino had seen them all, her powder-blue eyes as wide as saucers.

Kakashi sighed behind the Icha Icha book he had been reading since the drama had started. "Let them in Yamato."

"Them?" Naruto exclaimed agitatedly.

Yamato nodded and opened the door, revealing Ino, Shikamaru and Chouji on the other side.

After a short silence in which no one had moved a muscle, Shikamaru raised his hand in greeting. "Hey."

But Ino was striding into the room not moments later, sweeping her shocked gaze around the table. Kiba actually grinned back at her and Hinata blushed. "Sakura? Naruto? Kakashi-Sensei?" Then her eyes finally locked on Sasuke and she gaped. "Holy…!"

"Ino," Kakashi greeted, his one visible eye a half-crescent of glee. Sakura glared at him. He had no right to be so nonchalant about this.

"How…what? Who are these other people?" Ino asked as she gestured at Suigetsu, Karin, and Juugo. Karin clearly bristled at yet another kunoichi entering the scene.

Ino glanced back at Sakura, apparently shocked, and Sakura had the grace to feel a bit guilty, before Ino looked down and seemed to finally notice the mini-Sasuke in Sakura's lap. "Did Sasuke knock you up, Sakura?"

Kiba actually laughed. "If only."

Sakura sighed, realizing with each passing day that it wasn't truly possible to keep Naruto and his new family hidden from a village full of ninja. "Ino, you and your teammates should sit down. This is going to take a while."

Naruto sank down into his seat as Mikomi giggled in his arms. He felt absolute dread as yet another pair of male shinobi he knew well sat down to hear the emasculating story of his months away from home. He glared at Sasuke as the nin ignored him and watched the newcomers with a practiced expression of apathy.

Naruto mentally cursed Sasuke's unflappable behavior.

"Naruto…would you like to start off?" Sakura broke into his morose train of thought. He looked up at her and suddenly noticed that every eye was once again trained on him. Kakashi was smiling with his one crescent eye and Yamato looked to be smirking a bit behind his hand, the traitor. Kiba was outright snickering at his obvious discomfort, while Hinata blushed and looked away. Sakura was smiling encouragingly and Sasuke had the gall to cock a thin eyebrow as if he too was enjoying Naruto's discomfort.

Naruto suddenly wondered if Sasuke wanted Ino and the others to know everything, and just the thought of it gave him a strange feeling that oscillated between euphoria and horror.

_That fucking bastard. _Once he got through this he wasn't going to have sex with him for a week.

No matter how good it was.

Naruto remembered a particularly good scene from their most recent exploration in the bedroom and he grimaced.

Well, maybe a few days of abstinence would do the trick.

…..

AN: I've edited this chapter a bit as of 7/26/12

Thoughts?


	15. Konoha Calling

Disclaimer: Still don't own Naruto.

AN: Thank you so much for all the reviews on the previous chapter. They definitely gave me a confidence boost when it comes to writing this fic.

Chapter 14: Konoha Calling

Ino just stared at him as if he'd grown a second head, her mouth open and her eyes wide as she sat across the table. Naruto grimaced, and Mikomi clapped her hands from within the confines of his lap as she peaked with her bright blue eyes above the edge of the table.

Sasuke was actually smirking, and Naruto wanted to strangle him, but he desisted for the sake of their kits.

"So… let me get this straight," Ino stated, her eyes flitting back and forth between Naruto, Sasuke and their babies. "You got pregnant because of the Kyuubi and Sasuke's the father?"

Naruto nodded, the night time lamps that were lit by Yamato in the now dark house sending shadows across his face.

"And now Sasuke's controlling the Kyuubi so that it doesn't hurt your babies and make them lose control…" Ino continued, gesturing with her hands while putting things together in her head.

"And Sakura, Hinata, Kiba, Kakashi, Yamato, and Sasuke's team mates are helping out."

Naruto nodded again, as the others at the table also nodded their agreement.

Ino looked thoughtful for a moment as she regarded him and then Sasuke.

"Is the sex good?" Ino's grin turned devious and she leaned forward across the table, watching Sasuke and Naruto with amused interest. And finally she asked the question Sakura had been secretly wondering about. "Who tops most of the time?"

"Ino!" Hinata sounded appalled that the blonde girl would even think of asking something like that.

Kiba started laughing, and Naruto's face became hot as he stared back at Ino in horror. Sasuke's smirk, however, only grew.

"That's pretty obvious, yeah?" Suigetsu smirked, before sucking on his straw.

Shikamaru massaged the bridge of his nose and sighed warily from Ino's side. He was getting a headache. He could see that Chouji had actually stopped eating, his eyes wide, fingers tapping the table top in an odd nervous rhythm.

"Ah!" Ino nodded knowingly. "Sasuke tops. I _knew _it! Naruto is the _mother_, after all!"

"Hey!" Naruto retorted, stung by the mother comment. "I'm still a guy you know! And I can give it just as good as I can take it!"

Everyone at the table stared at Naruto a bit oddly, and his confidence crumbled a bit as he realized just what he'd said. Kiba laughed harder and Suigetsu was smirking as Kakashi shook his head.

"I…I mean…" Naruto continued lamely. "You know…not in a sexual way…necessarily…"

Sasuke had raised his eyebrow and was frowning, a strange gleam in his eye. "I was under the impression that you only took it."

There was silence at the table. Sakura had to admit it was completely odd to hear Sasuke speak about his and Naruto's sex life so openly and in such blatant terms. Even Ino was staring at Sasuke in shock, completely forgetting her previous excitement. Chouji looked like he would never be hungry again with how green his visage became, and Shikamaru was rubbing his temples vigorously. Karin looked like she wanted to kill someone, but Suigetsu was holding her back.

Sakura noticed that something dark had surrounded Naruto and his form was completely stiff he turned his head slowly to stare at Sasuke. Sakura could only brace for what would come next.

"WHAT???!!!"

Sasuke didn't flinch as Naruto passed Mikomi off to a surprised Juugo and got up, grabbing Sasuke by the shirt collar and almost raising the dark-haired nin until his toes lifted off the ground as Naruto glared into his impassive face.

"Bastard!" Naruto growled, seeming to forget that there were others in the room. "I'll show you who's taking it!"

And with that, Naruto dragged Sasuke back into their room and slid the shoji door shut so hard it banged against the frame.

A tense silence filled the room, the only sound coming from Kakashi turning a page in his novel, before loud bangs and shouts could be heard. The noises eventually gained a sort of rhythm and it was only a short time afterward that the shouts turned into loud moans.

"That's hot," Ino quipped as the loud banging noise became faster and faster, the moaning longer and more strained.

"Speak for yourself." Kiba looked like he was about to lose his dinner and Hinata actually placed a comforting hand on his back, rubbing it in smooth circles.

Shikamaru had already laid his head against the table top, his eyes closed with his arms folded on the table. Chouji looked uncomfortable, even as he stole bites of yakiniku from the hibachi.

Sakura looked over at Sasuke-chan in Hinata's arms and noticed that he looked quite distraught about something and his nose was twitching as if any moment he was going to cry.

Mikomi squealed and giggled in Juugo's arms as the giant teenager took to bouncing her on his leg and cooing at her, completely ignoring the insistent noises still coming from the bedroom. Sakura was surprised how gentle he managed to be and she smiled at him all while holding down a blush from the noises she couldn't quite ignore.

Meanwhile, Karin was digging her nails into the wood of the table top, looking absolutely murderous as Suigetsu continued to hold her back.

There was one last loud bang from the bedroom accompanied by Naruto's descriptive cry ("Fuck yes!"), and then a groan and silence.

Moments later, Naruto exited the room first, sporting a wide grin as he strode into the dining room, still shirtless. Sasuke hobbled out shortly after, his hair mussed and looking highly put-out. He glared at Suigetsu when the nin snickered, but Suigetsu barely twitched at the recrimination.

Naruto sat back down at the table, took Mikomi from Juugo, placed her on his lap as if nothing extraordinary had just happened only moments before, and then leant across the table and smiled at Ino.

"That answer your question, Ino?"

Ino smiled.

"We need a bigger house," Kiba muttered.

And then Sasuke-chan began to cry.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………..

After everyone else in the house had gone to sleep, Naruto lay back in his futon and stared up at the ceiling, a large grin tugging at his mouth. He looked over at Sasuke's back as the boy slept on his side near the other wall of the room. Sasuke hadn't taken Naruto's actions earlier very well and he hadn't spoken to Naruto since. He was still brooding about it until he fell asleep, but Naruto just let him be.

He had busied himself with changing the kits' diapers and tucking them into bed before he lay down himself. Sasuke-chan had taken a particularly long time to calm down, so the task had taken a while. In the meantime, Sasuke had fallen asleep across the room on his own futon, care of Sakura.

Naruto knew Sasuke was just sore, physically and mentally, about what Naruto had done, but he'd get over it. Besides, it was good for Sasuke's pride to be punctured every once and a while. After all, Naruto wasn't planning on being bottom _all _the time. Although, admittedly, it did have its perks. Naruto's grin grew as he chuckled.

He was honestly happier than he had been in a very long time. Even now as he looked across the room at Sasuke's bare back a warm feeling spread across his chest and made him feel giddy and wonderful.

Naruto sighed in contentment as Sasuke's pale shoulder rose and fell with each breath he took. With a new sense of confidence, Naruto sat up and crawled over to Sasuke's side. He looked down at Sasuke's profile from behind and brushed a tendril of dark hair out of his pale face. Sasuke twitched a bit, but didn't wake, and Naruto's smile turned soft. Without thinking too long on it, Naruto leant down and kissed Sasuke's cheek lightly. Sasuke let out a breath into his pillow.

Carefully, Naruto lay down beside Sasuke and spooned him from behind, wrapping an arm around Sasuke's torso and nudging his other arm under Sasuke's pillow. With his right leg overlapping Sasuke's, Naruto breathed into the back of Sasuke's neck, smelling his unique scent until he was comfortable enough to fall asleep.

Neither of them woke up again until mid-morning.

………………………………………………………………………….

When Sasuke woke up, a baby was crying loudly and he was slightly unnerved to find Naruto wrapped around him from behind. The moment he tried to extricate himself, which normally should be an easy task, a twinge of pain traveled up his backside and memories of the night before bombarded his mind. He scowled and became decidedly rougher with his extrication from the tangle of Naruto's limbs.

Naruto snorted a bit when Sasuke stood up, but he only rolled onto his back upon Sasuke's futon, scratching absently at his bare stomach, before falling back into a deep slumber. Sasuke wanted to frown at the line of drool exiting the corner of Naruto's mouth onto his pillow, but his traitorous lips quirked upward into a small smile instead.

The baby was still crying as Sasuke looked away toward the source of the noise, realizing with some consternation that it was Sasuke-chan sitting up and wailing loudly. Sighing, Sasuke made his way over to the bellicose babe as Naruto and Mikomi remained blissfully unaware. But just as Sasuke bent down to pick Sasuke-chan up, the infant darted between his legs and Sasuke had to look over his shoulder to see Sasuke-chan crawling quickly to Naruto's side.

Sasuke's right eye twitched in annoyance as the baby climbed onto the slumbering Naruto's stomach and glared back at Sasuke with a small frown. Sasuke rolled his eyes, feeling stupid for even becoming the least bit irritated by an infant. Sasuke-chan placed his head against Naruto's chest, where his heart would be, but didn't close his eyes. The strange child just continued to watch Sasuke as if he was a threat to be monitored. Sasuke's eyes narrowed as he frowned down at his namesake.

The child was aggressively possessive of his "mother". Sasuke smirked at the term. No matter how much he thought of Naruto as a mother it still continued to amuse him.

Something tugged at his pant leg, and he looked down to find Mikomi attached to his leg, smiling up at him. Her ears were twitching and she giggled as Sasuke picked her up off the floor and held her in his arms. She smiled at him and pulled at his bangs.

"Da!"

Sasuke stared at her, wondering if she had truly just spoken her first word.

She repeated it and clapped her hands as he held her up. "Da! Da!"

Unbidden, Sasuke smiled down at her. He suddenly felt indescribably proud of Mikomi in a way he'd never felt about anything or anyone. "That's right," he murmured. "I'm your dad."

Mikomi giggled and shrieked.

The corners of Sasuke's lips ticked up even more as he glanced down at Sasuke-chan who was scowling up at them, before he looked back at Mikomi's smiling face. Mikomi was clearly the smarter, better child. "Between you and me, you're my favorite."

Sasuke walked out of the room, holding Mikomi, to find Sakura, Ino and Hinata sitting at the table. All the girls looked up as he silently passed them out the front door, Mikomi still crying "Da Da!" and bouncing in his arms at odd intervals. No one else was outside until he sensed the girls following him out.

"Is Mikomi speaking?" Sakura asked.

Sasuke turned around and Mikomi said "Da!" as if to make a point.

"Kami-sama, that is so cute!" Ino squeeled.

Hinata blushed.

Suddenly Sasuke was surrounded by Kunoichi who were cooing at Mikomi and petting her as if she was some sort of well-behaved kitten. Sasuke tried not to look too annoyed. He knew that this would happen the moment Mikomi opened her mouth in front of them. Although, he had tried to escape before suffering the inevitable onslaught.

"Da! Da! Da!" Mikomi continued, apparently realizing that speaking got her a lot of attention, and she pulled on one of his bangs again.

"She knows her daddy!" Ino exclaimed.

"Has Naruto seen this?" Sakura asked, smiling at Mikomi before looking up at Sasuke.

"Not yet," Sasuke replied as he tried to extricate his locks from Mikomi's grip.

"Ooh, I bet he's going to be mad!" Ino observed. "Mikomi hasn't said anything before this to him, right?"

"Not that I know of," Sakura replied. "This is her first word, and Sasuke-chan hasn't been developing as fast. So I don't think he's spoken yet."

"But she must really like you then, yeah?" Ino quipped, now looking back at Sasuke. "To have her first word be dad. I never knew you were such a good parent!"

Sakura noticed that Sasuke looked a little irritated at that remark, but she sensed that it was all for show. Somehow she could tell that he really was touched by Mikomi's progress, and it was pretty significant that he was the first parent of the two to witness one of their babies' first words. Naruto was probably going to blow a gasket when he found out he'd missed it.

"What's going on?"

Sakura, Ino, and Hinata turned around to see Naruto step out of the house, carrying Sasuke-chan.

"Mikomi spoke!" Ino replied with a grin.

"What?!" Naruto jogged the rest of the way to them and broke into the group, staring at Mikomi and Sasuke and looking slightly panicked. "I missed it?! What'd she say?"

"Ma! Ma!" Mikomi answered for the rest of them and clapped her hands.

"Ma…ma?" Naruto repeated.

Sakura and Ino laughed and Hinata giggled discreetly behind her hand. Sasuke smirked.

"It seems she knows her mother too!" Ino exclaimed. "Kami, this is a smart one."

"Was that her first word?" Naruto asked.

"Nope, sorry Naruto, that was her second," Ino replied.

"She called Sasuke 'da da' before you came out," Sakura clarified.

Naruto looked like he wanted to laugh and cry at the same time, but instead he just snorted and his eyes got suspiciously misty. Sasuke-chan clung to him and glared at everyone else. Naruto hung his head as if in defeat. "I'm not her mother, I'm a guy!"

"Could have fooled me," Sasuke deadpanned.

"Why _you_…!" Naruto retorted, but he couldn't do anything given that they were both holding their kits. So he just settled for glaring at Sasuke. He'd stepped closer to Sasuke in the heat of the moment, however, and it triggered Sasuke-chan into a crying fit.

"What's wrong now?" Naruto almost whined, looking down at the kit who had suddenly become a clinging waterworks.

"He doesn't like me," Sasuke replied monotonously as if the fact of it didn't bother him much.

"More like he's jealous," Ino observed. "He only got that way when Naruto got close to you, Sasuke."

"Hn," Sasuke mumbled noncommittally.

Sakura smiled a bit when she realized that Sasuke probably did care more than he was letting on, but she remained silent on the subject.

"Sasuke-chan, jealous?" Naruto asked, his tone disbelieving as he looked down at the wailing babe. "How can a kit be jealous?"

"It's not uncommon." Sakura shrugged. "And it makes sense, given that Sasuke wasn't here for a while after they were born. Sasuke-chan has always been the clingier of the two, and right now it's probably difficult for him to see your attention on someone other than him."

Naruto looked at her as if she'd grown a second head and it had talked. "But…just because Sasuke's back doesn't mean I don't still love Sasuke-chan just as much! He's….he and Mikomi are the best thing that's ever happened to me!"

The group went silent and everyone stared at him. Hinata actually began to cry, tears sliding down her face, as Ino and Sakura smiled warmly at him. Sakura actually felt the prickle of moisture in her eyes, but she did her best to stem the flow. Sasuke was now staring at Naruto with an expression of wonder and a warmth Sakura had never seen on his normally cold features.

Even Sasuke-chan had quieted, as if he too understood the gravity of his "mother's" words. 

"What? What did I say?" Naruto questioned, looking around the group. "Hinata? What's wrong?"

Hinata bat a hand in the air as she tried to calm him down. "I'm just…oh, Naruto-kun…what you said was so sweet."

"It was?" Naruto asked, looking completely dumbfounded. "But it's just how I feel. Don't all parents feel that way?"

Hinata had just managed to start sniffling and reigning in her tears, when she found herself unable to control new tears that streamed down her face at Naruto's blatant words of parental affection.

"Oh no…" Naruto muttered.

But Sakura placed a hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry about her, Naruto. She's just proud of you. We all are. You're a great mother."

Naruto sent her an exasperated look.

"Parent," she corrected with a small smile.

"I never knew you'd be such a good parent, Naruto. You used to be such a loser." Ino quipped.

Naruto opened his mouth to retort, but Ino interrupted him. "But you and Sasuke both seem to take really good care of your children, and even though it's really weird how it all came about, I'm happy for you both."

"Thanks…um…I think," Naruto replied lamely as Sasuke-chan sniffled a bit in his arms and grabbed pieces of his blond hair with his tiny hands.

Sasuke bounced Mikomi in his arms as the baby had fallen asleep after all the excitement.

Naruto shared a look with Sasuke and, even though it was very subtle, Sakura couldn't help but see a spark of something akin to love pass between them. She blushed and looked away, as if she was intruding on a moment, even though she suspected her former teammates didn't even realize their stare was anything remotely intimate. Sakura sighed. They were in love and they probably didn't even really realize it.

Those idiots.

"Where's everyone else?" Naruto wondered out loud, after a short silence fell over the group.

"Shikamaru and Chouji went back to Konoha," Ino replied. "They need to inform the Godaime that we've finished out mission successfully."

"Why'd you stay?" Naruto asked.

"And miss all the excitement here?" Ino mimicked a fake expression of shock. "No way. I'd rather stay and see what happens next. I hate being out of the loop."

Naruto looked a bit uncomfortable, but he didn't say anything to that. Sakura knew he was just wary of more people knowing about his situation when he was still trying to control it. It definitely made Sakura realize just how much Naruto had changed since she'd found him in that shack in snow country. He used to love being the center of attention. He seemed a lot less needy now, and she supposed his new family filled a hole he had long been nursing since he was young enough to realize he was alone in the world.

"Kakashi and Yamato are patrolling the area, and Suigetsu and Juugo went off to spar," Sakura informed Naruto and Sasuke.

"Where's Karin?" Sasuke finally asked.

"I don't know," Sakura replied. "We haven't seen her since last night."

"Good riddance," Ino quipped. "It would be best if she didn't come back. Did you see the way she was glaring at Naruto?"

"Yeah, she does that," Sakura sighed.

"Still, it would be good to find out where she went," Hinata said, looking out into the forest with her byakugan. "She shouldn't go off on her own."

"She'll come back," Sasuke stated, but he was still staring off into the forest with a frown.

…………………………………………………………………….

Karin stepped through the snow toward her intended target. She had sensed him last night, but she had had to wait before she could go after him without being noticed.

She knew that if she found him, it would solve a lot of her problems and she and Sasuke could be together again.

Only he would be able to remind Sasuke of his true purpose before he was distracted by that man-whore, Naruto, and bring him back to her side. She remembered Sasuke's discussion about his plan to lure Itachi to them, because Naruto was a target of Akatsuki. It would certainly be an added bonus if Itachi managed to finish the job before Sasuke defeated him.

With a new sense of determination, she jumped into the trees and leapt toward her destination.

She was going to find Itachi and bring him back for Sasuke on a silver platter.

……………………………………………………………………………..

Sakura, Ino, and Hinata sat together on the front steps of Yamato's house, looking out at the grass where Sasuke and Naruto were once again sitting with their babies. The sun was high in the sky and a light breeze was lightly blowing through their hair.

It was the perfect day.

"Is that Kakashi?" Ino asked, pointing toward the forest line where two figures emerged.

Sakura and Hinata looked as well and just noticed as Kakashi waved at them and Naruto and Sasuke who were a bit closer to his position, as Yamato followed him closely behind. The way he walked swiftly made it seem like something urgent had come up, and Sakura frowned. She stood up and Ino and Hinata followed suit as Kakashi stopped by Naruto and Sasuke, looking serious.

He waved them over and they obeyed, stopping beside him and waiting for what he had to say.

"What is it, Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura asked first, noticing the scroll in his hand.

Naruto and Sasuke both looked curiously up at him, even as Mikomi and Sasuke-chan crawled around on the grass.

Kakashi shared a look with Yamato, before replying.

"We've just gotten word from Konoha. We have to go back."

"What?!" Naruto exclaimed.

"Sensei," Sakura interjected. "I'm not leaving Naruto and Sasuke out here alone with their babies…"

"No, that's not it," Kakashi interjected, shaking his head. "The Godaime has called us all back, including Naruto, Sasuke and their children."

"But…" Naruto began. "I can't…not when…we've already talked about this!"

"The Godaime says you and your children are going to be completely safe," Kakashi replied.

"How?" Naruto asked, finally standing up. "She can't guarantee that."

"She's named you the Rokudaime Hokage," Kakashi replied calmly, his tone lower than usual as if the very words held their own weight.

A couple of people in the group gasped in shock, and Naruto himself looked like someone had hit him over the head with a ceremonial gong.

"Rokudaime," Ino repeated with a shocked sort of whisper. "Kami."

"I…" Naruto stuttered. "I…that's great."

He didn't really know what to say. It had been a dream of his since he was a small child and now that it was actually happening, he felt dizzy.

"Naruto," Sakura began, talking fast in her excitement. "Do you know what this means? The elders must have given your nomination their blessing. So, the elders won't be able to get at your children! Sasuke-chan and Mikomi will be completely protected! You can go back to Konoha, back home!"

Naruto actually laughed as everything began to sink in. "You hear that Sasuke? We can actually go home, back to Konoha! We don't have to stay out here anymore…"

Sasuke was frowning and silent as he stood up, and Naruto's speech trailed off.

"What?" Naruto asked, his voice close to a whisper as he looked at Sasuke's almost crestfallen expression. He almost wanted to take the question back, because with some dread he thought he already knew what Sasuke was about to say and it scared him.

"I can't go with you."

"Why?!" Naruto retorted, almost cutting Sasuke off. "I'm Hokage now…I can get rid of your missing nin status! You won't be a criminal anymore and we can go home together…"

"It's not about that," Sasuke interrupted. "You know there's something I still have to do."

"You can do that from Konoha!" Naruto actually shouted, not wanting to feel as desperate as he did, but he couldn't squash the old feeling of hurt and betrayal from bubbling back up to the surface so easily. All the old arguments came rushing back and suddenly he was that same 12 year old kid at the Valley of the End, pushing his best friend to see reason. "I can help you…you don't need to do it alone!"

"But I do!" Sasuke's recoil was shocking in its intensity as he glared back at Naruto with that familiar cold visage. "Ever since the massacre, I vowed that I would take revenge for my family. That has been my dream – my only ambition. You've gotten your dream, Naruto. Now let me have mine."

"Sasuke…" Sakura spoke, but she didn't say anything else. She could tell that Naruto was hurting, but she truly didn't know what to say. She hadn't expected this…she thought that somehow Sasuke had given up on his revenge.

Naruto was at a loss for words. Mikomi and Sasuke-chan were both sitting in the grass watching their parents fight.

"I don't know why you won't let me help you," Naruto murmured, the pain and anger evident in his voice.

"You don't understand," Sasuke replied, his voice once again cold and unfeeling. "You can never understand."

There was a silence between them, before Naruto finally spoke. "No, I guess not."

And then he turned around and went back into the house, sliding the shoji door so hard behind him that it banged against the frame.

Sasuke turned his head once Naruto was inside the house, out of sight, and then he moved toward the forest.

"Sasuke…!" Sakura called out and he paused in his steps for a moment. "Don't leave."

He barely looked back at her over his shoulder, before he continued moving toward the forest once again. Never looking back.

She was about to run after him, but Kakashi stopped her with a firm hand on her shoulder.

She looked up at him questioningly, with a hint of frustration.

"Let him leave," Kakashi murmured, as he too looked out at the tree line. "He'll have to come back by choice, on his own terms."

Sakura sighed and his hand slipped off of her shoulder.

"For a genius, Sasuke seems to be pretty stupid," Ino observed, one hand on her hip as she frowned toward the tree line.

Sakura nodded and shared a look with Hinata and they both bent over to pick up a strangely silent Sasuke-chan and Mikomi, before turning to make their way back into the house. She needed to see if Naruto was alright and pick up the pieces if he wasn't.

Something told her though that this most recent trouble was only the beginning. There was something off about the air and she could only think of the sensation as her gut instinct on high alert.

Something was coming, and she yet again wondered where Karin was.

……………………………………………………………………………..

AN: Poor Sasuke, he's sort of messed up.

Thoughts?


End file.
